Back to SearchCouncil Welcomes Dramatic Shift by Simcoe County District School Board to Make a High School for the Town of Wasaga Beach its #2 Capital Priority
Mayor Brian Smith and Council have been advocating for the Simcoe County District School Board to make a high school for Wasaga Beach a priority for years
“Council welcomes the public school board’s move yesterday to elevate a high school for the Town of Wasaga Beach from #12 to its #2 priority. From experience, we know that projects in the top 3 have the highest probability of being funded by the Province,” said Mayor Brian Smith. “One year ago, the Town of Wasaga Beach went from having no high schools to now, possibly, having two high schools. This is what you get when you have an active Council that persists, insists, and continues to advocate for the needs and best interests of kids and families in Wasaga Beach.”
WASAGA BEACH – It is official, the Simcoe County District School Board has joined the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board in making a high school for Wasaga Beach one of its top priorities.
Last night, the Simcoe County District School Board approved their 2024/2025 capital priorities list and unveiled a dramatic shift that will see a high school for the Town of Wasaga Beach bumped up to #2 from #12 on the Board’s list of priorities, with a new expected open date of 2029.
If approved by the Ontario Ministry of Education, the Simcoe County District School Board project will be the second high school approved for the Town of Wasaga Beach in just over one year.
Wasaga Beach’s first high school will be built by the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board in partnership with the Town.
On May 1, 2024, the Ontario Ministry of Education announced $57.7 million in funding to build a high school and community hub developed by the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board in partnership with the Town of Wasaga Beach, which will see a K-12 campus built adjacent to the new Wasaga Stars Arena and Wasaga Beach Public Library. The innovative K-12 project will see students immersed in, and benefiting from, the Town's new $60 million arena and library facility. It also includes a childcare facility, and a shared community theatre that students will access during the school day, which will be available to the Wasaga Beach community on evenings and weekends. It is expected to open in 2027.
Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board high schools are open-access, meaning any child is eligible to enroll.
The submission deadline for school boards to submit capital funding requests to the Province is September 16, 2024.
Andrew McNeill, CAO, Town of Wasaga Beach
“This is great news for our community and for families in Wasaga Beach – the Town has been pressing the Simcoe County District School Board to move Wasaga Beach up on its capital priorities list for years, and today we have been successful. The Town looks forward to contributing to the success of this project – and we continue to be a willing partner to collaborate with the Simcoe County District School Board to find innovative ways to make this project the best it can be, to advocate for it to be funded, and to help get shovels in the ground faster.”
Quick Facts
- Since taking office in November 2022, Council has been actively advocating for a high school at the school board, county and provincial level, and it will continue to advocate at all levels of government on behalf of students and families in Wasaga Beach.
- Wasaga Beach is one of the fastest growing communities in Canada and Ontario. The Town’s current population is 25,000, which is expected to double by 2051.
- Wasaga Beach is currently the largest community in South Georgian Bay, and the largest municipality in Ontario without a high school.
- Approximately 1,000 high school-aged children are being bused outside of Wasaga Beach each day to attend elementary school and high school in neighbouring communities.
Additional Resources
- Watch the August 28, 2024 Simcoe County District School Board meeting where the dramatic change was discussed and approved.
- Figure 1: Simcoe County District School Board 2024/2025 Capital Priorities - Approved August 28, 2024
- Figure 2: Simcoe County District School Board 2023 Capital Priorities
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Media contact:
Sandra Watts
Director of Strategic Communications & Intergovernmental Affairs
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