Manitoba to build new schools through public-private partnership
A new school in Waverley West will be ready to welcome its first students in September.
Bison Run School is one of nine schools the Manitoba government is building through a public-private partnership. It will have a capacity of 800 students.
“The south end of Winnipeg is one of the fastest growing communities in all of Manitoba, so this new campus will ensure that parents in the south end can expect high-quality education and infrastructure for their children,” said education and early childhood learning minister Wayne Ewasko at a news conference Friday.
The province initially rejected this funding model in 2019.
However, government services minister James Teitsma says this partnership allowed the schools to be built quickly and at optimal value.
He noted details of the partnership will be worked out, but one of the provisions will see the private sector bid on both the building and maintenance of the schools.
“Now we’re going to be building the remaining six schools that we initially committed to and an additional three schools, and we’re going to do that as a cost-effective, bundled approach, effectively as a single project to allow optimal value and allow all these schools to be operational by 2027. That is two years before we had originally scheduled,” he said.
The province notes the bundled procurement model has also been used in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Six of the new schools were part of a 2019 promise and are to be located in Winnipeg and Brandon.
They will include two kindergarten to Grade 8 schools and child-care facilities in the 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 other three are a Grade 9 to 12 vocational school and child-care centre in Beautiful Plains School Division headquartered in Neepawa, 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.
The Tories initially studied private partnerships in 2018, but opted to build five schools the traditional way and said it would save money.
- With files from the Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP calls out Conservatives for effort to squash pharmacare legislation
The federal New Democrats are calling out Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his party for trying to block the bill that could pave the way for millions of Canadians to access birth control and diabetes coverage.
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
A subset of Alzheimer's cases may be caused by two copies of a single gene, new research shows
For the first time, researchers have identified a genetic form of late-in-life Alzheimer’s disease — in people who inherit two copies of a worrisome gene.
B.C. court date set for 3 accused of murdering Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three suspects accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year are scheduled to appear in court in Surrey on Tuesday.
Ontario MPP asked again to leave Ontario legislature over keffiyeh, Speaker loosens ban
An Ontario MPP was asked again to leave the Ontario legislature on Monday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that was banned by the Speaker last month due to its political symbolism.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.