Book new schools for Barrie and Innisfil, plus an addition to a standing school in the town.
Barrie-Innisil MPP Andrea Khanjin made the $67.3-million announcement for the Simcoe County District School Board schools late Friday afternoon near the new Barrie site at Dean Avenue and Mapleview Drive.
“As Innisfil and Barrie continue to grow exponentially, our government is investing in new schools and additions to ensure that the youth in our communities are supported in modern classrooms well equipped to teach science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” said Khanjin.
The province will provide $26.9 million for a new Barrie elementary school at Dean and Mapleview. It will have capacity for 662 students in a three-storey, 63,432-square-foot school, with five kindergarten classrooms on just more than five acres of land. It is slated to open in September 2027. Its design will be based on Trillium Woods Elementary School in southwest Barrie.
There’s $27.6 million in funding for a new Alcona elementary school, located at Innisfil Beach Road and Jans Boulevard in Innisfil, for 619 students. The two-storey school will be 57,000 sq. ft., have six kindergarten classrooms and is to open in the fall of 2026. Its design will be based on Lake Simcoe Public School in Innisfil.
And there will be a $12.7-million, 2,600-sq.-ft. expansion to Nantyr Shores Secondary School, located in Innisfil at 1146 Anna Maria Ave., creating 414 new student spots, bringing its capacity to 1,605 students. The two-storey addition will have 17 new classrooms, plus two science classrooms and additional washrooms. It is to be completed by the winter of 2027.
John Dance, the board's director of education, said this funding announcement is welcome news, as the population of both Innisfil and Barrie has grown significantly.
“Given the urgent accommodation needs in the area, a new elementary school in Barrie, a new elementary school in Innisfil and an expansion to Nantyr Shores Secondary School topped the list of the board’s capital projects submitted in the 2023-24 priority cycle,” he said. “Our sites are shovel-ready.”
These projects are part of $1.3 billion in provincial spending to support new school construction and expansions to existing schools, including child-care spaces, announced by Education Minister Stephen Lecce, as part of the Ontario government’s capital priorities program.
“These two new schools and an addition are urgently needed to accommodate the tremendous growth that’s happening in Barrie and Innisfil, which is projected to continue in the foreseeable future,” said Brandy Rafeek, the school board's vice-chair.
Innisfil Mayor Lynn Dollin said her town is a growing, thriving community and new schools are needed.
“It is an investment — an investment in our kids; it’s an investment in our community,” she said. “Complete communities are more than just houses; they’re libraries, they’re skating rinks, they’re good schools.”
Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall said the need is obvious in his city.
“When you look around this neighbourhood, you’re driving in the area, there are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of children that live here right now,” he said. “The amount of growth that’s taking place in this area … it is hard to keep up with.”
