Tory government announces another school in another Tory district
Liberal leader concerned a pattern is emerging with government announcements
The Houston government has unveiled plans for three new schools in the last month, all within districts held by Tory MLAs.
Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage Minister Pat Dunn announced the latest project in the Town of Trenton on Thursday. Dunn is also the MLA for the district, Pictou Centre.
The new school, slated to open in September 2027, will house students from pre-primary to Grade 8 and replace Trenton Elementary and Trenton Middle School. Trenton Elementary was built in 1966, while the middle school was built in 1925 and had additions in 1953, 1967 and 1985.
"This new school is great for students, staff and the community," Dunn said in a news release.
"Not only will it address aging infrastructure and population growth, it will ensure the school remains a vibrant hub, bringing together the entire community."
The project is part of the Tory government's five-year school capital plan, which was announced earlier this month. That plan includes four "refresh" projects, which will see aging buildings replaced.
Opposition concerns about location choices
Education Minister Becky Druhan previously announced a new school in New Germany to replace two aging schools in that community, as well as a new French school in Porters Lake.
The capital plan also says four new schools will be built in Halifax Regional Municipality to address population growth that has existing schools running out of space. Druhan has said the location of the HRM schools, and the fourth refresh school, would be announced at a later date.
Liberal Leader Zach Churchill said he'll be watching to see the location of the fourth refreshed school and the locations of the four new HRM schools.
Churchill said a pattern is emerging where the government reserves announcements for districts its MLAs represent.
"I think it's something that we need to be concerned about," he said.
Decisions based on input from school districts, experts
Churchill was a member of the Liberal government the last time a slate of new schools and replacement schools was announced.
Although many of those projects were in Liberal-held districts, Churchill pointed to schools in Wedgeport and Springhill, areas represented then and now by Progressive Conservative MLAs, as proof that opposition districts weren't overlooked.
"They were driven by growth numbers and the capital needs. [The government] needs to demonstrate that they're actually building schools where they're most needed from a population standpoint and from a maintenance standpoint, and I don't know that they have made that case yet."
Education Department spokesperson Barbara Ferguson said in a statement that officials work with the regional centres of education and Conseil scolaire acadien provincial to understand infrastructure needs, and then "with experts from the Department of Public Works to objectively consider factors like the condition of facilities, to inform decisions provincially."
Ferguson said the locations of the HRM schools will be determined by reviewing growth projections and planning for housing developments.
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