Lloydminster's high schools are receiving $35 million from both provinces. (Photo 106485473 © Chonlawut Brahmasakha | Dreamstime.com)

By Josh Ryan

School expansion

$35 million for Lloydminster high schools

Sep 25, 2020 | 3:51 PM

A joint effort from Alberta and Saskatchewan is placing a significant investment in the Border City.

Lloydminster will receive $35 million in renovations and expansions for the city’s two high schools, Lloydminster Comprehensive High School and Holy Rosary High School. The announcement was made Thursday by Deputy Premier and Education Minister Gordon Wyant, Alberta Minister of Infrastructure Prasad Panda, Lloydminster MLA Colleen Young and officials from Lloydminster’s Public and Catholic School Divisions. The investment is part of the Saskatchewan government’s 7.5 billion capital plan to stimulate economic growth in the province over the next two years.

“The renovations and additional spaces that are being added to Lloydminster Comprehensive High School and Holy Rosary High School will help serve both the students and community of Lloydminster for years to come,” Wyant said. “Our government is proud to invest in education infrastructure to stimulate the economy and help keep Saskatchewan strong as we recover from the pandemic.”

$10 million goes to Holy Rosary, with $25 million going to Lloydminster Comprehensive and will involve upgrades to the mechanical and electrical systems. Both schools are adding a second storey addition to the facilities, increasing each school to 16 classrooms, along with upgrades to the mechanical and electrical systems. Completion of Holy Rosary’s renovations and expansion is scheduled for 2022, which will increase the student population capacity from 750 to 1,200.

“Lloydminster Catholic School Division and Holy Rosary High School are very excited about this announcement to expand the school,” Lloydminster Catholic School Division Board Chair Paula Scott said. “We have been advocating for several years to have this project approved so that we can accommodate our growing population and develop our programming.”

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Lloydminster Comprehensive’s work will also see an increase in how many students the school can accommodate, approximately 1,522 students compared to 1,187. It’s expected that the work will finish in 2023.

“The Lloydminster Public School Division Board of Education would like to thank the provincial government for supporting the Lloydminster Comprehensive High School renovation project,” Lloydminster Public School Division Board of Education Chair Karoline Kennedy said. “This project will reshape education in LPSD with benefits extending across our division and the Lloydminster community. The renovation will create an environment that will support our students in achieving personal excellence through their education journey.”

The costs of these renovations are shared with the province of Alberta through the Lloydminster Charter.

Speaking on behalf of the city hall, Deputy Mayor Jonathan Torresan said they were thankful for the investment from both provinces who recognized the growth of the schools, noting what can happen for the Border City when both provinces are working together. The project could also provide opportunities for local jobs through contractors and their employees.

“Our economy can really use the shot in the arm that this will deliver, so we’re incredibly grateful for that,” Torresan said.

One the benefits of provincial money flow back to the city, according to Torresan, is the finished product of those projects help grow the community by providing better quality of life for residents. This ultimately makes Lloydminster a more attractive community to those outside, especially for families when it comes to educational and recreational facilities.

“When you have a nice place to live, people want to move there, businesses want to move there,” Torresan said. “It just makes life better.”

“That could be the deciding factor for people, having quality schools and facilities.”

The project could create a competitive advantage against other communities, but also should continue to foster growth between the schools themselves. Torresan said one of Lloydminster’s strengths is the quality of the two school divisions.

“They’re constantly competing to provide the best quality of education for the students and offer the most choices,” he said. “If we didn’t have the hard work of those employees, none of this would be possible, nor would it be possible without our MLA’s going to bat for us.”

The costs of these renovations are shared with the province of Alberta through The Lloydminster Charter.

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josh.ryan@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JoshRyanSports