March 24, 2023
Manitoba Government Building Quality New Schools Earlier than Scheduled
– – –Construction of Three Additional Schools Surpasses Commitment Two Years Ahead of Schedule: Ewasko, Teitsma
Watch news conference
With the construction of three more new schools, the Manitoba government will exceed its 2019 commitment to build 20 schools in 10 years and complete the work two years ahead of schedule, Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Wayne Ewasko and Consumer Protection and Government Services Minister James Teitsma announced today at the grand opening of Bison Run School in Winnipeg.
“In 2019, we promised to build 20 new schools in 10 years,” said Ewasko. “Today, 14 of these schools are already in progress or completed. To meet the growing needs of students, we are going above and beyond our commitment and will deliver a total of 23 new schools two years sooner than originally planned. This is great news for students and their families.”
The Manitoba government is building the remaining six schools from the 20-school commitment in addition to three more schools through a bundled public-private partnership procurement, Teitsma said.
“Students and their families want quality new schools sooner, and this is exactly what we will deliver,” said Teitsma. “The approach we are taking will enable all nine of the remaining new schools to be operational by 2027, two years ahead of schedule.”
The bundled procurement model, applied successfully in recent years in Alberta and Saskatchewan, will allow the Manitoba government to build the nine schools through a single tender and thereby complete the construction faster and with optimal value, Teitsma added.
“Each of these schools will be top quality and will meet or exceed provincial design standards,” said Teitsma.
The nine publicly funded, owned and operated new schools have been determined on a priority basis and will be constructed and operational by September 2027. The six remaining schools planned through the 2019 commitment include:
- two kindergarten to Grade 8 schools and child-care facilities in Pembina Trails School Division;
- a kindergarten to Grade 12 French school and child-care centre in Division scolaire franco-manitobaine;
- two kindergarten to Grade 8 schools and child-care facilities in Seven Oaks School Division; and
- a kindergarten to Grade 8 school and child-care centre in Brandon School Division.
The additional three schools planned on top of the 2019 commitment include:
- a Grade 9 to 12 vocational school and child-care centre in Beautiful Plains School Division;
- a kindergarten to Grade 8 school and child-care centre in River East Transcona School Division; and
- a Grade 9 to 12 vocational school and child-care centre in Seine River School Division.
Of the 14 schools previously announced, seven are in operation and have welcomed new students, while seven are at the design stage or under construction.
Among these new schools now operating, Bison Run School is a two-storey, 81,400-sq.-ft. kindergarten to Grade 8 school that began welcoming students in January. With a capacity for 800 students, Bison Run School includes a multi-purpose room, band room, library, gymnasium, human ecology rooms, industrial arts laboratories, grooming room, life skills suite, resource teaching and support spaces, and a science, technology, engineering and mathematics laboratory.
“Pembina Trails School Division and school and divisional staff are excited to participate in the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Bison Run School,” said Lisa Boles, superintendent and CEO, Pembina Trails School Division. “Since its opening on Jan. 30, staff and students have come together to create an inclusive learning culture that is supported by a modern, universally accessible building that is bright and welcoming.”
Construction on Bison Run School began in August 2021 with a total cost of $32 million. The school will be part of a larger campus, with a high school under construction near the kindergarten to Grade 8 school.
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