Ontario Improving School in Sault Ste. Marie

The Ontario government is investing $4.5 million in the Algoma District School Board (ADSB) for an addition at H.M. Robbins Public School, helping working families in Sault Ste. Marie. This investment, announced by Ross Romano, MPP for Sault Ste. Marie, will support the creation of 26 student spaces and 64 licensed child care spaces as part of the Ford Government’s commitment to building state-of-the-art schools for Ontario youth.

The project is part of a provincewide investment of nearly $500 million to support new
school and child care spaces that were recently announced by Stephen Lecce, Minister
of Education. The overall investment will support the creation of 37 school related
projects which include 23 child care centres. This funding will add nearly 15,700 new
student spaces and 1,502 licensed child care spaces at schools across Ontario.

“We are building new schools, building more affordable child care spaces, and building
hope and opportunity for Ontario students as they learn in more normal and safer
classrooms,” said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education. “We believe that students
deserve to learn in-person in state-of-the-art facilities that are internet connected,
accessible, with modern ventilation systems, which is why our government is delivering
a major investment that accelerates construction to get it done for parents, students,
and communities.”

The investment is part of the Ontario government’s commitment to provide $14 billion to
support school construction over ten years. Since 2018, the government has approved
nearly 200 new projects and there are currently more than 300 child care and education
building-related projects in development, with more than 100 actively under
construction.

“These 90 new student and child care spaces are going to help many families in our
community in need of child care,” said Ross Romano, MPP for Sault Ste. Marie. “This
incredible $4.5 million investment will create a new addition at H.M. Robbins Public
Elementary School with four new child care rooms. I look forward to seeing these
spaces when the work is complete.”

Highlights of the project include:

• 26 elementary student spaces
• 64 new licensed child care spaces
• 4 new child care rooms

“Under Premier Ford’s leadership, our government is delivering more schools across
the province to support the needs of Ontario’s students, families and growing
communities . By cutting red tape and introducing the Rapid Build pilot project to
expedite procurement and construction processes to build better schools faster, we’re
ensuring that students reap the benefits of state-of-the-art learning facilities sooner and
have access to education in a safe and healthy environment.” said Kinga Surma,
Minister of Infrastructure. “These investments are just one of the ways we’re building
critical infrastructure – such as schools, hospitals, long-term care homes and public
transit – that Ontarians rely on with a budget over $148 billion over the next decade.”

Excited to hear of the investment, Director of Education, Lucia Reece emphasized that,

“This investment is great news for ADSB students and families as well as for our
community. The addition of classroom space and child care spaces will support many
families in need of child care, while progressing our work to ensure our students have
modern, healthy spaces to learn. The child care partnerships that operate within our
schools are greatly valued, as they make the transition to school seamless. We are
grateful for this government’s ongoing commitment to build critical and much needed
infrastructure across the province, as we remain steadfast in our advocacy to make the
final phase of our 20-year capital plan a reality.”

H.M. Robbins Public Elementary School is located at 83 East Balfour St. in Sault Ste.
Marie.