REGINA - Construction is now on for the new joint use elementary school in West Harbour Landing, Regina.
Officials from the province, Regina Public School Board, Regina Catholic School Board and the City of Regina were on hand to mark the start of construction. Those representing the province included Premier Scott Moe and Minister of Education Everett Hindley.
It was clear that construction crews had already gotten a bit of a head start with work already under way at the Gordon Rd. and Campbell St. location. The province said in a news release that roadworks and utility connections, got under way last year in preparation for construction.
The new school is expected to be up and running in the fall of 2027. Once completed, it will accommodate up to 500 Regina Public and up to 350 Regina Catholic students. It was also provide an additional 90 new childcare spaces.
The total project capital cost was $65.9 million with the City of Regina contributing $4 million to the land purchase, site servicing and community space as well as waiving $1.3 million in site servicing fees. Details are still to come on the name of the school once it is completed.
The need for a new joint use school is obvious. Harbour Landing is one of the fastest growing areas of the province, attracting families with school-age children. The population has grown so fast that capacity is already exceeded for the existing public and Catholic joint use elementary school in the neighbourhood: St. Kateri Tekakwitha and Ecole Harbour Landing Elementary School.
Other parts of Regina, Saskatoon and surrounding nearby communities are also growing in population at a fast clip. Premier Moe was asked if the current government investments in school infrastructure is going to keep up with the demand.
“No, it's not going to be enough,” said Moe. “And I think it's all the more reason for us to focus on the economic aspects of our province, because it's only through the growth of that economy that we're able to make investments like this. We have 115 schools across the province have had significant renovations or have been replaced with new schools.”
According to their news release the province has committed approximately $2.8 billion toward school infrastructure, including 74 new schools, 31 major renovation projects and 10 minor renovation projects.
Moe acknowledged the need for “more funding as we move forward.” He acknowledged the inflationary pressures school divisions and provinces and cities are facing on the operational side, as well as on the capital side in the last number of years.
“And so it's very, very important for us to continue to focus on the growth of our economy so that we're able to make these investments in a responsible fashion moving forward to support Saskatchewan families, to support Saskatchewan municipalities and all of those that are volunteering their efforts to run our school divisions per se.”
“Yeah, we know it's not enough,” said Regina Mayor Chad Bachynski, who welcomed the start of construction.
“We know we have to do more and that's where we'll continue to collaborate to do more. We know that we've had to change boundaries for schools. We know we have schools that are using staff rooms for classrooms and that. So we know it's not enough, but to the Premier's point, that's why we need to lean into the growth of our communities and lean into the economic factors that enable us to build schools like we need them.“
Officials with the school divisions were enthusiastic that a new school is finally on the horizon for Harbour Landing after years of efforts and delays.
"Together we’re not just building a school, this a future filled with faith, hope and many exciting things to come for the students that go to this school" Regina Catholic School Board Chair Ryan Bast said. "We can’t wait to see the next chapters unfold for the Harbour Landing area and our students."
The school divisions are particularly welcoming the relief of some of the enrolment pressures not only on the existing schools in Harbour Landing, but also other elementary schools that have seen their own enrolment balloon upwards due to the busing in of students from Harbour Landing.
“There are approximately 400 students being bused and for a number of years out of this community into surrounding communities,” said public board chair Adam Hicks.
He said having this school opening up will relieve enrolment pressures of other south end schools that have taken in those students, such as Argyle, A.E. Perry, and Ethel Milliken schools.
Those will “have the pressure relieved off of them, allow those teachers a little more room and flexibility with the teaching spaces, including music rooms and art rooms and things like that, and allow those students back in this community to get back into a community school back in their own home.”
Hicks told reporters that when it opens the new school should be “near capacity or a little bit over capacity. So we will be maxing it out around that 500 student mark. And this area continues to grow.”
“It is one of the highest growing demographic areas in this entire province, this community specifically. And so this school, it will relieve a lot of burden off of that high intense growth and the high density of families that live in this community as well too.”
