3 Edmonton school projects receive design funding from province

The Alberta legislature on Dec. 10, 2023. (Craig Ellingson/CTV News Edmonton)

Three Edmonton school projects have been approved for design funding as part of the province's school accelerator program.

They're among 11 projects that Demetrios Nicolaides, Alberta's education minister, said Wednesday are moving forward.

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One of the Edmonton projects is for a new west-end Grade 7-12 school by the francophone Conseil scolaire Centre-Nord.

Étienne Alary, the school division's board chair, said in a statement to CTV News Edmonton the Conseil scolaire Centre-Nord is "thrilled" to receive the funding, which is for a campus of two schools – one public and one Catholic – in Edmonton's Callingwood neighbourhood.

"This project will mean that Francophone Edmontonians will, for the first time, be able to access Francophone junior and senior high school programming in the west end of the city," Alary said.

Currently, Conseil scolaire Centre-Nord offers junior and senior high school programming at four city schools, all on the east side.

Two Edmonton Public School Board projects are also receiving design funding. The school board declined to comment Wednesday on the funding.

The province also revealed seven projects have been approved for construction funding, including for the replacement of Spruce Grove Composite High School, as well as ones in Barrhead, Wainwright, Breton, Mallaig, Redcliff and Taber.

Planning funding for an addition to a Calgary high school was also approved.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in a televised address in September said her government will boost the amount of money being spent on new school construction over the next three years to $8.6 billion, an increase of $6.5 billion from what was originally promised in the 2024 budget.

Nicolaides told media on Wednesday at the Alberta legislature that the province plans to add 30 new school projects to the capital list for each budget cycle, including the upcoming 2025 budget.

"Those details are not yet finalized, but the whole priority with the program and the project is to make sure that we're adding schools in our communities of greatest need," Nicolaides said. "Our major urban centres, Calgary and Edmonton, are growing like crazy, so I think it would be a safe bet to see we'll see a lot more schools in Edmonton and Calgary and in other larger centres."

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Chelan Skulski