Lack of provincial funds could delay opening of new school in Sage Creek, division says
Construction of a new school in Sage Creek is in limbo because of the delay in its funding from the provincial government, the division says.
The school on Des Hivernants Boulevard in southeast Winnipeg was originally supposed to open in September 2025, but recently the school division was told there’s not enough provincial funds to complete the construction.
“We have arrived at a point where if you look at the school, you see walls, staircases, roofs and now we are $6.7 million dollars away and they are saying you have to scale it back so that it’s not so expensive,” said Sandy Nemeth, board chair of the Louis Riel School Division.
Nemeth said LRSD received an approval to build a 900-student capacity school in May 2022 which will serve both the Sage Creek and Bonavista communities. They were directed by the Department of Education at that time to use a sequential tendering approach for the completion of the project.
“We had four tenders which were approved and financed, but now the province has delayed approval of the last tender.”
According to Nemeth, the estimated total cost of the school is $63.3 million and the province now requested them to reduce the scope of the project, which she said is impossible. So now the division is considering borrowing $6.7 million from external sources to complete the project.
“6.7 million dollars is a significant amount of money, but in terms of a school that is in excess of 50 million dollars we are a little bit dumbfounded frankly that something that has been under construction for so long is problematic now.” said Nemeth.
Nemeth said the school division will vote on June 18 for taking out this loan.
“The decision the board of trustees will consider and vote on next week is to consider going through the process that will allow us to incur that debt on our own to ensure that the school will open in 2025.”
The NDP government, in the budget it delivered on April 2, had set aside money for two new K-8 schools: École Mino Pimatisiwin School in Seven Oaks School Divisions, in northwest Winnipeg, and École Sage Creek Bonavista in Louis Riel School Division.
The province was not able to provide detailed information on this school’s funding due to the Tuxdeo byelection blackout.
Frank Capasso has been living in Sage Creek for 12 years and is also the president of the local residents association. He says they have been waiting for this new school for many years because of a shortage of classrooms.
“Sage Creek is a booming area and plus with Bonavista now being attached,” he said.
“Our kids have to go out of the area to go to school, and it’s time that we give more space and room to be here.”
According to Nemeth, in 2017, the École Sage Creek School opened as a K-8 dual-track school (French immersion and English programs). It was built to its full capacity of 600 but the school exceeded its capacity upon opening with an enrolment of 625.
“It very quickly outgrew, and we have been moving students to a number of other schools just to try and accommodate the rapid increase of growth in those areas.”
She says the new school will be a 900-capacity French immersion school and once it’s constructed, École Sage Creek School will be designated for just English program students. This means it will take the pressure off from the first school.
Nemeth said another requirement for the new school is the continued expansion of the area in terms of more newcomer families moving in.
“We are long past the point where there were any opportunities to scale back the project in order to save. Not opening the school in September 2025 is not an option, it needs to open.”
Brigitte Dupuis-Unrau has lived in Sage Creek for three years. Her son is going to the École Sage Creek School and she was hoping to send him to the new school.
“We were really looking forward to having him in the area till Grade 8 and then figuring out high school afterwards.”
Unrau says parents in the area are wondering why an approved project is being delayed, and are looking for some transparency from the government.
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