The Ontario government has announced the investment of $600,000 to create 39 child care spaces at St. Edmunds Public School in Tobermory to help working families in the Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula.
Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Walker shared the good news in a virtual announcement on January 27, 2022, which included Bluewater District School Board Chair and area trustee Jane Thomson, Director of Education Lori Wilder, St. Edmunds Public School Principal Brenda Brewer, Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula Mayor Milt McIver, Bruce County Warden Janice Jackson, Tobermory Primary Place President Marianne Wood, local media, and other municipal, school board, and child care representatives.
The investment is part of the provincial government's commitment to supporting affordable and accessible child care in communities across the province.
Once complete, the project will provide one toddler room and one preschool room through the province's Early Years Capital Program.
"This is terrific news for the entire community in Northern Bruce Peninsula and Tobermory. We have been waiting a long time for this news and I want to thank Minister of Education Stephen Lecce for his support in making this project a reality," said MPP Bill Walker. "The COVID-19 outbreak has reminded us how important schools and child care are to students, parents, and families, across the province. They are the heartbeat of our communities. They bring people together for the shared experience of learning."
The expansion at St. Edmunds Public School is part of a provincewide investment of more than $600 million to support school and child care spaces that were recently announced by Minister Lecce. The overall investment will support 78 school and child care related projects. As part of this investment, the province dedicated more than $95 million to create more than 3,000 new child care spaces through renovations and additions at 55 child care centres across Ontario. The investment will provide families with more options for their children.
"We are thrilled that the Ministry of Education has recognized the need for sustainable child care to better serve local families on the Bruce Peninsula through the investment of funding to create 39 new child care spaces at St. Edmunds Public School," said Jane Thomson, Bluewater District School Board Chair and Trustee for the Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula/Town of South Bruce Peninsula. "Many thanks are owed to the ministry and MPP Bill Walker for supporting the long-term child care needs of the community, and our municipal partners at the County of Bruce and Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula for their hard work during this process. We look forward to the beginning of a long and rewarding partnership with the volunteers and staff of Tobermory Primary Place, and warmly welcome them to our school community. The addition of a modernized child care environment for our youngest learners and future students will benefit families on the peninsula for years to come."
Source: Media release, MPP Bill Walker
November 26, 2024
