Released on September 10, 2015
Education Minister Don Morgan joined the Regina Public and Catholic school divisions, along with students, parents, community members and dignitaries today to celebrate the start of construction for six publicly-owned elementary schools to be built on three joint-use sites in Regina.“Our government is thrilled to celebrate the start of the largest schools build project in Saskatchewan’s history,” Morgan said. “This project is about investing in our students and teachers while providing young families in new neighborhoods with additional child care and community space.”
The Regina schools will be built in Greens on Gardiner, Harbour Landing and Rosewood Park in Coopertown using a public-private partnership (P3) model that will see 18 new elementary schools built in Saskatchewan.
“Today’s groundbreaking is an exciting step toward realizing the vision of our joint-use schools,” Regina Catholic Schools Board Chair Rob Bresciani said. “It has been a great partnership with the Government of Saskatchewan and Regina Public Schools to establish brand-new facilities for students in our city and our province. We are pleased that construction on St. Nicholas, St. Elizabeth and St. Kateri Tekakwitha Schools is about to begin and we very much look forward to opening the doors in September 2017.”
“We are pleased to see the beginning of tangible progress toward the building of three new joint schools in Regina,” Regina Board of Education Chairperson Katherine Gagne said. “These new schools will bring needed, 21st century schools for many Regina students and will also strengthen the partnership between Regina’s public and separate school divisions.”
Joint Use Mutual Partnership is the P3 team that will deliver the six Regina schools, as well as 12 schools on six shared sites in Saskatoon, Martensville and Warman.
“We couldn’t be more excited to commence construction on these critical infrastructure projects,” Joint Use Mutual Partnership Lead Derron Bain said. “The entire Joint Use Mutual Partnership team is focused on meeting the long-term goals jointly established between the province, City of Regina, Regina Public Schools and Regina Catholic Schools. The unveiling of the site sign and rendering is an exciting milestone.”
The 18 schools will accommodate more than 11,000 students from Prekindergarten to Grade 8 at full design capacity, which includes more than 3,300 students in Regina, 5,700 students in Saskatoon and 2,100 students in Martensville and Warman. Each joint-use school will contain a 90 space early learning centre as well as community space. Joint-use schools are co-owned by the public and Catholic school divisions.
The schools are scheduled to be completed and ready for students by September 2017.
Since 2007, the province has committed approximately $966 million toward 65 major school capital projects and numerous smaller projects such as portable classrooms and preventative maintenance and renewal.
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For more information, contact:
Amanda Purcell
Education
Regina
Phone: 306-787-1069
Email: amanda.purcell@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-533-7506