OAKVILLE, Ont. — Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce says the province is putting $1.3 billion toward building and expanding schools.

He says the money will go toward creating 27,093 new student spaces and 1,759 child-care spaces.

It is part of a planned $16 billion over the next 10 years to build schools and child-care spaces, as announced in the province’s recent budget.

Lecce says he has also introduced a plan to cut construction timelines in half, encouraging boards to standardize the design of new school construction so they can be built faster.

Cathy Abraham, the president of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, says it will help ensure that students across the province have access to modern, state-of-the-art learning environments.

The government says since 2018, it has approved or supported the development of more than 300 school-related projects, and more than 100 of those are actively under construction.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2024.

The Canadian Press