News Releases

News Release - Manitoba

December 1, 2017

Wishart Announces Major Addition and Renovation at La Salle School



LA SALLE—Students and families in La Salle and the surrounding community will soon benefit from a major addition and renovation at La Salle School that includes a new stand-alone child-care centre, Education and Training Minister Ian Wishart announced here today. 

“Ensuring schools throughout the province are modern and well-designed is a priority for our government, as we continue to focus on improving outcomes for students,” said Wishart.  “This school renewal project will help to better meet the educational needs of this growing area.”

The minister noted the project is a 15,638-sq.-ft. addition to the school, which will include six regular classrooms and a new 5,300-sq.-ft. gym.  The existing gym will be renovated into a library and kindergarten room, while the current undersized library will be renovated into a life-skills suite.  The new 40-seat, 3,600-sq.-ft. child-care centre will be located on the school site, adjacent to the school.

“We appreciate the support of the Manitoba government in providing this much-needed school expansion, renovation and child-care space,” said Greg Reid, trustee, Seine River School Division.  “The new space will provide long-term stability for educational service for the school and growing community of La Salle.”

La Salle School is a kindergarten to Grade 8 English school with a September 2017 enrolment of 354 students.  It was built in 1991 with additions in 1996, 1999 and 2010, and is the only school in the community.

Enrolment has increased to 354 in 2017 from 246 students in 2005 due to new housing starts and subdivision developments, exceeding the school’s current core capacity of 325 students.  Enrolment is predicted to increase to 411 students by 2020, the minister said and confirmed the addition will increase capacity of the school to 450.

Construction is set to begin in early 2018 with an anticipated completion date of April 2019, Wishart said.  The project will meet the Manitoba Green Building Policy and will qualify for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver and Manitoba Power Smart designation.

The minister noted the project is supported by more than $92.4 million in planned capital spending by the province in 2017-18 for public school infrastructure projects, prioritizing the health and safety of students and educators, and accommodating growth in enrolment.

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