September 13, 2022 11:50am
The town of Saugeen Shores is calling on the provincial government to provide more school space.
Mayor Luke Charbonneau has sent a letter to the Ministry of Education asking for its help, and adds this is the second letter he has sent since 2020.
“Very little has happened in the intervening in two years, so I sent them another letter last week asking for them to make some progress on getting a new [elementary] school built, and to meet with me and school board officials together to see if we can come up with a path forward to get some new school space,” he said.
He says the number of younger adults and children in Saugeen Shores grows substantially each year, and they’re running out of classroom space.
“It’s critically important. Our children need places to go to school, and we don’t want dozens and dozens of portables around our schools,” he said. “We need adequate facilities for our students. I think it’s something the Ministry [of Education] ought to address, and address soon.”
Saugeen Shores has two public elementary schools, Northport Elementary and Port Elgin Saugeen Central. In his letter, Charbonneau explains the number of younger adults and children in Saugeen Shores has each grown by nearly 30% in the last five years, meaning these schools are quickly becoming overwhelmed.
Charbonneau says if the lack of school space isn’t addressed soon, it could deter new families from moving to town.
“There’s a lot of people moving here with young families, supporting the Major Component Replacement Project at Bruce Power and Bruce Power’s operations. That’s a significant project for the province. Bruce Power needs to be able to attract employees, and if you’re going to attract employees you’re going to need a place for their kids to go to school,” he said.
Saugeen Shores has not yet received a reply from the Ministry of Education, but Charbonneau is hopeful they’ll receive word soon.
