Toronto-area schools will be receiving an additional $297 million from the province over the next two years to repair and renew buildings in Scarborough and other regions across the city. This comes following recommendations made in 2015 by the Auditor General of Ontario to increase investment in school renewal to 2.5 per cent of schools’ replacement value and to direct two-thirds of infrastructure investment in schools in renewal, rather than new construction.

This investment will allow the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) to repair roofs, update HVAC units and modernize electrical and plumbing systems, among other projects. It will also help improve some visible elements of schools, such as flooring, walls, ceilings, playing fields and more. The TDSB will receive over $257 million of this investment, while the TCDSB will receive about $40 million.

“Our government continues to support Scarborough students, and students all across Toronto, with significant investments in better schools for better learning,” said Mitzie Hunter, Minister of Education, in a press release. “This is an important investment towards local student achievement and well-being – and is a boost to our local economy.”

Schools in Scarborough will begin receiving this additional funding immediately, including Maplewood High School, J.B. Tyrrell Senior Public School, Alexander Stirling Public School, St. Martin de Porres Catholic School and Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School.

In total, Ontario will invest an additional $1.1 billion in school repair and renewal across the province. This is on top of a previous investment of $1.6 billion that is to be distributed over the next two school years. Since 2003, the province has invested approximately $175 million into schools in the Scarborough region which has been used to construct nine new schools and 10 additions and renovations to existing facilities.