In the autumn of 2027, Shanty Bay children will have their first opportunity to track mud all over the Oro-Medonte village's new public school.
The Ontario government announced Wednesday it has given approval to the Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) to issue the tender for a new replacement school in the village, located about 15 minutes ouside of Barrie.
According to the announcement, the provincial government will spend $18.9 million on the new facility — $13 million more than the original $5.9-million price tag the project sported when it was first announced in July 2020.
“The funding for a new replacement Shanty Bay Public School is great news for our community,” Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MPP Doug Downey said in a news release announcing the tender approval. “Since taking office, I, alongside with the team of parents, students and educators, have advocated for this school to remain in the Shanty Bay community.
“This investment will ensure families and students have access to a quality learning environment in the years ahead,” he added.
Once completed, the school will accommodate the same number of pupils as it does now, which is 190.
“Although details are still being discussed, we can share that construction of the replacement school will occur on the existing property and that construction will not impact the current academic school year,” said Sarah Kekewich, manager of communications for the SCDSB.
“The target date for opening is 2027," she added.
According to Kekewich, the board is still working on its plan to accommodate students during construction of the new facility and will be sharing that information with parents, teachers and staff once it’s confirmed.
John Dance, director of education at the public school board, welcomed the provincial funding.
“This is exciting news for students, staff and families that have been advocating for a replacement Shanty Bay Public School,” Dance said in the release. “The replacement school will address the current facility restrictions and will ensure that students continue to learn in their community for years to come.”
Downey has been pushing for the new school for the past four years.
In a July 2020 story published on BarrieToday, Downey praised small schools, calling them “the heart of our community.”
At the time, he said the new school was a direct result of the advocacy of parent groups within the Shanty Bay school community.
"That passionate community spirit is what makes small schools such an integral part of our rural communities,” he said at the time.
In September 2019, SCDSB trustees reluctantly voted to include a new Shanty Bay school among the 10 capital projects it submitted to the province for approval.
As a result of uncertainty out of Queen’s Park over school class sizes and the difficulty of acquiring land in the southern part of the county within the tight timelines imposed by the province, “urgently needed” schools in Bradford and Alcona were removed from the list.
Here’s the list of schools, in priority order, trustees approved:
- New Bradford South elementary school
- Banting Memorial High School replacement school
- Lake Simcoe Public School addition
- Killarney Beach Public School addition
- New Angus elementary school
- New Alliston elementary school
- New Orillia elementary school
- New Barrie #1 Southeast elementary school
- New Barrie #1 Southwest elementary school
- Shanty Bay Public School Replacement School
The inclusion of a new Shanty Bay elementary school generated the most controversy.
Prior to the meeting, a pair of Oro-Medonte residents — Alastair Connolly and Sue Harrison — made an impassioned plea to trustees urging them to demolish Shanty Bay Public School and construct a larger facility on the site.
The duo asked to make the presentation when they learned a new Shanty Bay school was not originally among the board’s 10 priorities.
In their submission to the board, they dropped a bit of a bombshell when they revealed they met with Stephen Lecce, who was the province’s education minister at the time, at his King City constituency office. Downey, Oro-Medonte’s then-mayor Harry Hughes and then-Ward 3 Coun. Cathy Keane also attended the meeting “in support” of a new Shanty Bay school.
That infuriated board chair Jodi Lloyd, the trustee representing Orillia, Severn and Ramara Township.
“I’m quite concerned by the fact this meeting took place without the courtesy of an invitation to the school board that actually makes these decisions,” said Lloyd, who noted boards across the province “are facing challenges.”
She said the process should not be politicized; decisions should be based on the merits of the business cases presented. It “calls into question the integrity of the process,” she stressed.
— With files from Dave Dawson and Raymond Bowe
