Algoma District School Board trustees formally approved major upgrades for several ADSB schools at their regular monthly meeting Tuesday.
Capital project work that got underway in the summer of 2024 is costing approximately $30 million.
Funding for the projects came from roughly $15 million in annual Ontario Ministry of Education dollars as well as capital priority funding approved by the province through a separate application for larger unique needs, said Joe Santa Maria, ADSB associate director of corporate services and operations, while speaking to the board.
Funding from a separate application is paying for the new Three Rivers JK-12 School in Blind River, Santa Maria said.
The $50.5-million school will be shared by the ADSB and Conseil scolaire du Grand Nord and located at 158 Youngfox Rd. in Blind River.
It will include 381 JK-12 spaces, 64 child care spaces and 72 French-language elementary spaces for families in the region.
Construction is underway and ADSB is aiming to have Three Rivers completed by 2026.
“We’re proud to be building a new school in Blind River to replace two older buildings,” Santa Maria said.
ADSB also received approval from the Ministry earlier in November for $8.9 million for updates and an addition at H.M. Robbins Public School.
That funding is for a 26-pupil place addition and retrofit for H.M. Robbins Public school as well as a four-room child care (64 child care spaces) addition to the school, located at 83 East Balfour St.
The Ministry of Education allocated a total of $2.6 million in capital priorities funding and $5.5 million in child care capital funding for the H.M. Robbins project. ADSB will also use $721,665 from this year’s school renewal allocation for that project.
Projects discussed at October’s meeting and formally approved by trustees at Tuesday’s meeting include:
- White Pines Collegiate shop upgrades
- Korah Collegiate west entrance along with other interior and exterior upgrades
- Tarentorus Public School daycare and two new classrooms
- Isabel Fletcher Public School interior and exterior upgrades
- River View Public School interior upgrades including a revamped main entrance and front office
- Chapleau School outdoor classroom for JK-12
Work on Tarentorus Public School’s daycare and two new classrooms is complete.
White Pines Collegiate shop upgrades will need two more summer construction seasons to finish with ADSB hoping for completion in 2026.
Two phases have been completed in that project, including the robotics and computer areas and, more recently, a new auto shop.
Thirty-two of ADSB’s 41 schools have been renovated over the past few years.
“We’re very thankful for our continued progress and to use these funds to innovate and provide more learning spaces for our students,” said Jennifer Sarlo, ADSB chair.