New English school to open next year in Saint-Lin-Laurentides
A new English-language elementary school is opening in Saint-Lin-Laurentides, about 50 kilometres north of Montreal.
It'll be ready for the 2024 school year and it will be a welcome addition to an overcrowded system.
According to the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board, the last time a new anglophone school opened in the area was more than a decade ago so this new one — with 16 classrooms, a double gym, sensory rooms, and a playground — is welcome.
"The construction of a new English school is so exciting. It's exciting news," said Paolo Galati, chair of the school board.
The school board says most of its schools in the Lower Laurentian and Lanaudière regions are overcrowded, with Laurentia Elementary School in Saint-Jérôme operating at 163 per cent capacity.
"They had to give up their library for a classroom and the library is now in a narrow hallway. Totally, totally unacceptable," Galati said.
The $27-million project will be able to accommodate close to 400 students, and for some, it will be much closer to home. Galati says it will also help with increasing enrollment as more anglophones are moving up north.
"We noticed that, in total, the entire population went up 6.8 per cent from 2016 to 2021. Those are stats from Stats Canada," said Vanessa Savella, the executive director of English Community Organization of Lanaudiere.
It's an increase some believe is likely influenced by the cost of housing. A recent report from the Quebec professional association of real estate brokers shows the average home price in Montreal was $700,000 last month, compared to $474,000 north of Laval.
"A lot of our buildings are older, they are wonderful learning environments but they're old," said Kathy Korakakis, president of Quebec's English Parents' Committee Association.
"Windows don't open, walls aren't great, paint is not great so it's just a wonderful environment when it's fresh and new. It's conducive to learning."
Crews are expected to break ground for the new school in the coming weeks before its expected opening in 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Pharmacare bill passes in the House of Commons, heads to the Senate
The Liberals' pharmacare bill is headed to the Senate after passing third reading in the House of Commons.
National Bank of Canada seizes Ont. woman’s car by mistake
A university student woke up one morning to find her car had been towed away without warning. She finally got answers - just not the ones she expected.
More Canadians are moving to the U.S. Here's one of the main reasons, according to an immigration expert
Recent data from the U.S. census revealed that more than 126,000 people moved from Canada to the U.S. in 2022. An expert said that one of the main reasons for this move is the cost of living.
MPs 'wittingly' took part in foreign interference: national security committee
Some MPs began 'wittingly assisting' foreign state actors soon after their election, says a report released Monday, including sending confidential information to Indian officials.
Her gut was producing alcohol. Doctors didn't believe her
For two years doctors told her she was an alcoholic. Then they realized her gut was making alcohol from carbohydrates, a rare condition called auto-brewery syndrome.
Bus carrying Quebec tourists crashes in Cuba, leaving 1 dead and 26 injured
One person is dead and 26 were injured after a bus carrying Quebec tourists was involved in a collision in Cuba on Sunday.
Here's how far B.C. drivers must keep from cyclists, pedestrians under new law
A new law protecting cyclists and pedestrians in British Columbia takes effect Monday, establishing minimum distances that drivers must keep from so-called vulnerable road users.
N.L. becomes latest province to eye stricter tobacco regulations
Newfoundland and Labrador has floated an eyebrow-raising trial balloon in a bid to further the public health fight against tobacco and nicotine.
Forest bathing: What it is and why some Alberta doctors recommend it
Many people are familiar with the benefits of being in nature, but forest therapy goes a step further than a simple walk in the woods.