Ontario Building New Joint School in Thornhill-VMC

Province supports new student spaces and child care spaces

THORNHILL — The Ontario government is investing a total of $47.2 million in the York Region District School Board and the York Catholic District School Board for a new joint elementary school, helping working families in Thornhill-VMC. This investment, announced by Laura Smith, MPP for Thornhill, will support the creation of 1,134 student spaces and 49 licensed child care spaces as part of the government’s commitment to building state-of-the-art learning spaces for Ontario students.

“Investments in our student’s education has a value that is immeasurable, and having these two new state of the art elementary schools, that are closer to home, provides a positive benefit for families in the VMC.” said Laura Smith, MPP for Thornhill. “I am grateful to Minister Lecce and Premier Ford for their leadership in this historic investment for our community, and looking forward to seeing these two new elementary schools come into fruition.”

The overall investment, which is the highest ever made in a single year, supports the creation of more than 27,000 new student spaces and more than 1,700 licensed child care spaces at schools across Ontario.

“Our government is more than doubling the funding to build new schools, which represents the single largest investment in school building in Ontario history,” said Minister Lecce. “We are stepping up with a massive investment to build the homes, schools, and communities our province needs, and to ensure children have access to state-of-the-art schools close to home that gives them real life and job skills to succeed in the future. I want to reiterate my thanks to MPP Laura Smith for her relentless advocacy for local families.”

Ontario’s government unveiled a new plan to build faster, including providing school boards with more flexibility and support to get shovels in the ground quicker and have more options to use existing buildings in their communities. These changes are part of the government’s plan to ensure that the public education system focuses on what matters most: important life-long skills such as reading, writing and math; improving accountability and transparency for parents and families; and maximizing capital assets.

“Our government is investing in new schools and improved infrastructure across the province to support the needs of Ontario’s students, families, and growing communities.” said Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure. “These are part of our historic investment of more than $190 billion over the next ten years to build and deliver the critical infrastructure Ontarians deserve today, and for future generations to come.”

The 2024 Budget: Building a Better Ontario continues to support the province’s work being delivered through Bill 98, the Better Schools and Students Outcomes Act, building schools faster and better employing taxpayer-funded assets.

“The York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB) has a history of cooperating with the York Region District School Board to build schools together,” said Elizabeth Crowe, Chair of the Board, York Catholic District School Board. “We are excited to work together again. The YCDSB is eager to provide families access to a Catholic school in the heart of the quickly growing Vaughan Metropolitan Centre neighbourhood.”

“The building of new schools helps school boards deliver high quality education for the students in growing communities, such as this community in Vaughan,” said Ron Lynn, Chair of the York Region District School Board. “On behalf of the York Region District School Board, I am happy with today’s investment in public education and in the future of students and families in York Region.”

“On behalf of the City of Vaughan, I want to than the Government of Ontario for today’s funding announcement for the two new schools that will be located in the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC),” said Steven Del Duca, Mayor of the City of Vaughan. “This much needed infrastructure is welcomed as the VMC is the largest development in the city’s history and this investment will benefit many families for years to come.”

“As one of the fastest-growing cities in Canada, Vaughan’s growth is undeniable, and these new schools are a testament to our commitment to accommodating new families and providing essential services,” said Chris Ainsworth, Ward 4 Councillor. “I want to extend my sincerest thanks to Premiere Ford and the Government of Ontario. Without their investment, this significant milestone would not have been possible. Together, we are shaping a brighter future for Vaughan and its residents.”

Highlights of the project include:

A $26.8 million investment in the York Region District School Board for a new Vaughan Metro Centre Elementary School, creating 637 student spaces.
A $20.4 million investment in the York Catholic District School Board for a new Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Elementary School, creating 497 student spaces and 49 licensed child care spaces.

The new joint school will be located at a site to be acquired in Vaughan.

Quick Facts

In December 2023, the Ministry of Education announced Ontario’s plan to help build schools faster through a transparent, accountable and more efficient process. In the recent Capital Priorities round, school boards were encouraged to standardize the design of new school construction, identify opportunities to work together on joint-use school projects, and bring forward shovel ready proposals.
Since 2018, the Ontario government has invested more than $3.6 billion in capital construction projects in education, including 139 new schools, 109 additions and renovations to existing facilities, creating more than 98,000 student spaces and over 8,000 new licensed child care spaces.
For the 2023-24 school year, the province is providing school boards with approximately $1.4 billion in funding to revitalize and renew aged building systems and components.
The investment is part of Ontario’s commitment to provide about $16 billion to support new school construction, repair, and renewal over 10 years.
The Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act, 2023 ensures the public education system focuses on what matters most: teaching important life-long skills such as reading, writing and math; improving accountability and transparency for parents and families; maximizing capital assets of boards to support building modern schools faster and better utilizing current school capacity.
Ontario secured a $13.2 billion agreement with the federal government that will lower fees for families to an average of $10 a day for children under the age of six under the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care system.

Daniela Tabachnik
Executive Assistant, MPP Laura Smith
905-758-1618
Daniela.Tabachnik@pc.ola.org