Ontario Opening New School in Wasaga Beach

Wasaga Beach Public School will open this Fall, providing students with innovative and modern learning spaces for a high-quality education

NEWS                                                                             August 29, 2024

STAYNER, ON – Today, Brian Saunderson, MPP for Simcoe-Grey, announced that the new Wasaga Beach Public School will be welcoming new students in September for the 2024-25 school year. This project is a part of Ontario’s ongoing efforts to build and improve local schools, with the province providing Simcoe County District School Board with $22.5 million to build the new school in Wasaga Beach.

This project delivers 406 elementary spaces for local families for the 2024-25 school year. The investment is part of Ontario’s commitment to providing about $16 billion to support school construction, renewal and improvement over 10 years. Since 2018, the government has approved or supported the development of over 300 school-related projects including child care, of which more than 100 are actively under construction.

“The completion of the new Wasaga Beach Public School is very welcome news for our community,” said MPP Brian Saunderson. “This investment will ensure families and students have access to a quality learning environment in the years ahead.”

Additionally, Ontario is taking action to ensure that school board capital assets are used effectively and efficiently to meet the needs of growing communities, support student learning and ensure value for taxpayer dollars. The Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act, 2023 empowers decision-makers to build modern schools faster by better utilizing school capacity, reducing barriers for school boards to facilitate agreements for schools in multi-use buildings such as condo towers, and shortening planning time through design standardization when constructing, renovating, or making additions to schools.

“As a mother, I understand that the local school really is the heart of the community, and that it’s so important for young families to have a school that’s close to home,” said Jill Dunlop, Minister of Education. “Our government is listening to parents, which is why we took action, and we are now proud to deliver a new, state-of-the-art Wasaga Beach Public School for local families, along with increasing funding, staffing and a back-to-basics focus on reading, writing and math to help ensure students graduate with the fundamental skills they need to succeed.” 

Highlights of the project include:

• 406 new student spaces

“Under Premier Ford’s leadership, we’re building more state-of-the-art schools to support the needs of Ontario’s students, families and growing communities. By investing in innovative and modern learning spaces, we’re ensuring students have access to the quality education that will provide them with lifelong skills and education in a safe and healthy environment,” said Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure. “These investments are one of the ways we’re delivering on our promise to build Ontario, with an infrastructure budget of more than $190 billion over the next decade.”

“We are excited to welcome students, staff, and community to the Simcoe County District School Board’s (SCDSB) newest elementary school,” said John Dance, Director of Education for the SCDSB. “Through a collaborative facility partnership with the Town of Wasaga Beach, not only will this new school provide students with an exceptional environment to learn and grow, it will enhance opportunities for community to come together. We look forward to celebrating the opening of Wasaga Beach Public School (WBPS). The opening would not be possible without the support from the Ministry of Education, the dedication of the SCDSB’s Operations and Design and Construction teams, hard work of all contractors, and the commitment from Principal Christina Holroyd and the staff at WBPS.”

Wasaga Beach Public School is located at 42 Union Blvd. in Wasaga Beach. 

QUICK FACTS

• Since 2018, the Ontario government has invested more than $3.6 billion in capital construction projects in education, including 139 new schools, 109 additions and renovations to existing facilities, creating more than 98,000 student spaces and over 8,000 new licensed child care spaces.

• For the 2024-25 school year, the ministry will provide renewal funding of approximately $1.4 billion to school boards to revitalize and renew aged building systems and components.

• The Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act, 2023 ensures the public education system focuses on what matters most: teaching important life‑long skills such as reading, writing and math; improving accountability and transparency for parents and families; maximizing capital assets of boards to support building modern schools faster and better utilizing current school capacity.

• Ontario secured a $13.2 billion agreement with the federal government that will lower fees for families to an average of $10 a day for children under the age of six under the Canada‑wide Early Learning and Child Care system.

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MEDIA CONTACT

Steve Cassar, Communications and Media Manager  

Office of MPP Brian Saunderson 

(705) 428-2134

Steve.Cassar@pc.ola.org

Together, let’s make every day, a better day, in Simcoe-Grey!