Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
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The province is celebrating the opening of a new school in Regina, but at the same time, several long-promised projects are now being delayed, raising concerns about overcrowding and aging infrastructure.
Education Minister Everett Hindley confirmed some previously approved school builds and renovations will be on hold as the province works to manage rising construction costs and a busy building sector.
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“There are several projects that won’t be advancing as quickly as initially planned,” Hindley said.
“All of these projects are going to be completed; it’s a matter of sequencing them.”
The comments came as Hindley toured École du Park Francophone school in Regina, a $26-million project that the province says will help meet growing demand in the community.
But the delay of other projects has drawn criticism from the Opposition.
Among the projects now confirmed to be on hold are major renovations at Campbell Collegiate, the largest high school in Regina by population, a planned joint-use school in the city’s east end meant to ease pressure on overcrowded elementary schools and a project in Carlyle.
CJME News has reached out to the provincial government for the complete list of projects being put on hold.
Aleana Young addresses reporters on school project delays as Brent Blakley looks on at the Saskatchewan Legislature. (Jacob Bamhour/980 CJME)
NDP MLA Aleana Young said the decision is another example of what the her party is calling a “bad news budget,” particularly for families already dealing with overcrowded schools.
“For a growing city like Regina, this is a punch in the gut for families with kids in overcrowded schools,” Young said. “Three much-needed renovations to Campbell Collegiate have been put on hold.”
Young said those projects had been promised to communities ahead of the last provincial election and were expected to move forward soon.
“Families have been promised a new school by the Sask Party government,” she said.
NDP MLA Brent Blakely said schools in the Wascana Plains area are already well beyond capacity, with some exceeding intended enrollment by hundreds of students.
“They are two or three hundred students over capacity in a building that wasn’t built for that many students,” Blakely said.
He added that some are being bused long distances because their neighbourhood schools are full.
Blakely, a former teacher, said overcrowding directly affects classroom learning conditions.
“When you have 35, 37 students in a class, it’s difficult to effectively teach that many students at one time,” he said.
The province has pointed to inflation, labour shortages and increased demand in the construction sector as key reasons for delays, noting some projects come in 20 to 30 per cent over budget.
Hindley said the projects are not being cancelled, but rather delayed as part of a broader effort to manage spending and capacity across the government.
Still, the opposition is calling for more transparency, including a full list of affected projects.
“We’ve reached out to the province for that list,” Young said. “We know communities are going to be finding out in real time that promises made to them are being broken.”
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