High School Construction Delay: Council Accountability
Asked by Melissa Marshall · 2 months ago
Funding for our new high school has been available since 2021, yet we are still years from breaking ground, while Ontario communities funded after us are already under construction. The Province did not create that delay, council vote did.
For the record: A 2023 closed-session decision delayed the project, with individual votes not readily available. In December 2024, the vote to advance the school was
YES: Norcross, Gabrek, Masters, Jacks and Foster;
NO: MacLellan, Cox and Harrison McIntyre.
Biss and Rapin recused.
Question:
If you were on Council or the Board when these decisions were made, how did you vote, and why?
That delay cost this community roughly two years. What did we gain that justified it? What materially changed about the site, plan or agreement between the 2023 decision and the eventual approval?
If elected, what specific steps will you take to move this project forward now?
Jaison Waldman's answer
Banting High School deserves better. Our children deserve better.
The record of how the votes were cast doesn't give me enough context to judge the choices made by the councilors.
The two year delay mentioned is being rather generous. Planning and growth projections make me think we are much further behind.
What is the vision for 10 years or 20 years from now? All the elementary schools are over capacity with portable classrooms becoming part of the landscape.
The new Tottenham Elementary School will have a capacity of 426 students. The leading is lagging the reality.
