Happy to be in attendance this morning for the announcement for the green light Milton 13 Elementary School for the Halton District School Board. In the middle of one of the next developments in Milton, we are excited to see progress in the approval of new schools. From now until completion we are looking at at least 2 years and lots of work left to do, but this is the first step into more spaces for students as well as much needed child care spaces for our growing community.
As I mentioned today in my remarks, one of the top issues Milton is facing is schools for our young people, both elementary and secondary and the quality of their educational experience. We at the town/regional level will continue to advocate to the province for faster approvals on schools so we can begin to make a dent in the number of schools needed and reduce our dependence on portables. For example one of our high schools now has 60 portables and some students need to be bused to other areas in the region for their education. This isn’t the way it should be done.
We’re currently in the process of approving our master plans for development both at the local and regional levels and we must adapt to the Provincial Growth Plan which is saying we need to be able to accommodate 1.1 million people and 500,000 jobs, not to mentioned growth in others areas of the GTA.
That alone is a tough challenge but it won’t be possible without more schools to be built. While todays announcement is another good first step, we need to have a commitment from the Province of Ontario to accelerate approving much needed infrastructure for Milton, like schools and increased transit funding, so we can meet those growth targets and not have students left behind with a sub standard educational experience and a never ending parade of portables.
(Photos courtesy of YourTV Halton News / FM101 Milton)
