Several Brampton Schools Undergoing Major Renovations
Published September 4, 2017 at 9:25 pm
It’s true that several Brampton schools are in need of renovation and repair, and now, several of those schools are getting their upgrades.
It’s true that several Brampton schools are in need of renovation and repair, and now, several of those schools are getting their upgrades. The province has injected a substantial amount of money into repairing schools, as part of the largest infrastructure investment in Ontario’s history.
Just like any other infrastructure, schools need maintenance. Across Ontario, 54 major renovations, additions, and new schools are opening in communities throughout fall 2017. While one of those new schools is in Brampton – the brand new St. Daniel Comboni Catholic Elementary School – the rest of Brampton’s schools are not to be neglected.
Over 60 education and childhood care centres are currently in the planning or under construction phases, having elements such as roofs, flooring and plumbing systems upgraded.
What’s more – several of these projects aim to improve energy efficiency, to ultimately make schools in Brampton more environmentally friendly.
The provincial government announced earlier this summer that a sizeable $1.4 billion in funding will be given to schools across Ontario to cover repairs and renewals, and that $200 million of cap and trade proceeds will be geared towards making said schools a little greener.
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“Energy efficient repair and renewal projects are an important investment in the well-being of Ontario’s students,” said Mitzie Hunter, minister of education. “By reducing greenhouse gas emissions from schools and keeping schools in a state of good repair, we can provide them with healthier learning environments for years to come.”
The new funding announcement isn’t too surprising, as the province has been investing heavily in school repairs and renewals. Since 2013, Ontario has invested almost $10 billion to renew schools.
The handful or two of Brampton schools currently under renovation includes Russell D Barber Public School which is having its playing field restoration and irrigation system improved, Fletcher’s Meadow Secondary School which is undergoing building repairs for environmental efficiency, and Conestoga Public School which is getting a new roof and an overall improved facility with better energy efficiency.
“Ontario has nearly 5,000 school buildings, the average age of which is 38 years old. Some of these buildings date back to the 1800s and early 1900s,” the ministry of education said in a report. “These schools are a proud part of our province’s heritage, but as you can imagine, the older a building is, the higher its repair and renewal needs will likely be.”
As for some background information on repairing Ontario’s schools, there’s a system to keep track of which schools need which repairs. Ontario’s ministry of education evaluates all publicly-funded schools and ranks them using a Facility Condition Index (FCI). As the ministry explains, the FCI is a warehouse of data on each and every school’s state of repair and information on schools is gathered in five year cycles.
Many schools are aging in Brampton, and the FCI ratings for a handful of Brampton institutions are considered poor. That said, it’s important to note that this rating only reflects repair needs, it does not mean that the schools are providing a lacklustre educational experience or that they are unsafe.
Some schools with poor ratings include St. John Bosco (31 per cent), Balmoral Drive Senior Public School (35 per cent), Peel Alternative School North (36 per cent) and more, which you can find here.
Hopefully, the ongoing renovation projects will amp up the ratings of some of the schools on the FCI that are considered poor.
For a map of which schools are currently undergoing infrastructure improvements, click here and filter for education and child care projects that are in the planning or under construction phases.
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