News Releases

News Release - Manitoba

November 24, 2017

Province Announces Major Classroom Addition and New Gymnasium at Miles Macdonell Collegiate



Students and educators at Miles Macdonell Collegiate can look forward to six new classrooms and a new gymnasium, Education and Training Minister Ian Wishart announced today.

“This investment is part of our commitment to providing the best education possible for students in the River East Transcona School Division and throughout Manitoba,” said Wishart.  “We are pleased to support the construction of a new gym to give students more opportunities to get involved in sports and develop the kinds of healthy, active lifestyles that will benefit them for years to come.”

The project will include a new, 13,000-sq.-ft. gym addition, and the renovation of existing gym space into four new classrooms and a new art room.  The former art room will be renovated into one regular classroom and one EAL classroom.  Wishart noted the new gym will enhance physical education programming at the school, while the new art room and classroom space will help accommodate increased enrolment.

“A new gymnasium at Miles Macdonell Collegiate has been a board priority for several years now,” says Colleen Carswell, board chair, River East Transcona School Division.  “We’re pleased and excited to hear today’s announcement and want to say thank you to the Manitoba government for this decision, which will be a tremendous benefit to our students, staff and our community.”

Carswell noted the school division is also funding an additional 2,474-sq.-ft. teaching station for the new gym, which will also be used for storage and office space.

Miles Macdonell Collegiate is a French immersion school with a September 2017 enrolment of 1,155 students.  Miles Macdonell Collegiate began welcoming Grade 9 students for the first time in September 2016, becoming a grade 9 to 12 high school and growing its student population by more than 300.  

The minister noted the project will be supported through 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.  The school division has issued a tender for the construction work and the project is expected to be completed in January 2019, he added.

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