More than $25M in repairs earmarked for Nova Scotia schools

Ottawa and the Nova Scotia government will spend $25.7 million to repair and upgrade 76 schools across the province.

The projects range from the creation of new classroom space at Centre scolaire de la Rive-Sud in Cookville to ventilation improvements for existing portable classrooms in the Halifax school system.

"To put this in perspective, we generally spend about $6 million a year," said provincial Education Minister Derek Mombourquette. "So we'll really be able to ramp things up."

Paul Ash, the executive director for the South Shore Centre for Education, said the upgrades at the seven schools in his area will not just improve the environment for students, teachers and staff, but for the wider community.

"Many of our schools are used by community groups, so countless community members will also benefit from these upgrades," he said.

The federal money comes from a COVID-19 resiliency fund. Federal officials believe the extra work will also boost the economy by creating jobs.

"We're nearly through this pandemic, and we will build back better," said Halifax MP Andy Fillmore.