By Troy Gillard

$250 million

LaGrange announces stimulus plan for school upkeep and renewal

May 20, 2020 | 4:38 PM

Alberta Education Minister Adriana LaGrange announced on Wednesday that capital funding for school divisions has been increased by $250 million in a bid to boost the economy, while also accelerating important maintenance to existing schools.

LaGrange says the funding will support hundreds of projects in all school divisions across the province and create about 3,750 jobs.

“We’re getting Albertans back to work by investing in hundreds of infrastructure and renewal projects in schools across the province,” LaGrange said. “This is great news for staff and students who will benefit from more modern learning environments.”

The province will work with school divisions to invest dollars in the most efficient and effective ways possible. Specific projects will be confirmed by the start of June. The majority of projects are anticipated to be completed by October.

In a release, the province notes that this initiative is an acceleration of investment in school maintenance and renewal projects, and is separate from funding for new schools or modernizations. Approved projects must align with the requirements of Alberta Education’s Infrastructure Maintenance and Renewal program and fall into one of the following categories:

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• building envelope (e.g., roofs, doors, windows, exterior finishes)

• mechanical (e.g., plumbing, heating and ventilation)

• electrical (e.g., lighting upgrades)

• structural (e.g., foundations)

• site improvements (e.g., parking lot repair, regrading for drainage)

• interior upgrades

This initiative is part of Alberta’s capital maintenance and renewal (CMR) stimulus plan, officials note. The province is doubling CMR funding in 2020-21 from $937 million to $1.9 billion so more companies can keep their workers employed during these challenging times and Albertans can benefit from these projects sooner.

Funding allocated for local school divisions includes:

Chinook’s Edge School Division $4,223,000

Red Deer School Division (Red Deer Public Schools) $4,105,000

Red Deer Catholic Separate School Division (Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools) $2,500,000

Wolf Creek School Division (Wolf Creek Public Schools) $3,143,000

Wild Rose School Division $2,500,000.

(With file from Government of Alberta media release)