Sask. NDP, White City say community in dire need of new high school and elementary facilities

WATCH: The provincial NDP and the Town of White City are calling on the Ministry of Education to build a new high school and elementary school in the community.

The Saskatchewan NDP along with the Town of White City are calling on the Ministry of Education to build both a new high-school and elementary school in the community.

According to the Town of White City, its population grew by more than 23 per cent between 2016 and 2021- and more than 27 per cent of residents are under the age of 15.

The town says those numbers do not include nearby Emerald Park or other areas in the RM of Edenwold.

“Both our elementary schools are already at or above capacity. And with hundreds of youths preparing to enter high school, we are far past the point of needing long-term solutions. We need real investment now,” Mayor Mitch Simpson said in a news release on Thursday.

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According to the release, Emerald Ridge Elementary School is currently operating at 115 per cent capacity and Ecole White City is at recommended enrollment levels.

“Additionally, White City lacks a high school entirely, meaning older students must leave the community for their education,” the release said. Many of those students currently attend Greenall High School in nearby Balgonie.

Opposition NDP MLA Matt Love says a high school in the community should have been built years ago.

“Families in White City and Emerald Park have been clear that this is a top priority. Councillors are calling for it. The school division has been calling for it. And the Sask. Party is still ignoring them,” Love said in a news release.

The NDP says that Prairie Valley School Division has been asking for new schools for years and that local parents have gathered nearly 800 signatures supporting the ask.

“The community is growing faster than nearly any other in our province. White City and Emerald Park have so much potential for a bright future, but they need the infrastructure to match,” NDP MLA Jared Clarke said in the release.

In an emailed statement to CTV News, the Ministry of Education says they are working closely with school divisions to meet their needs, noting that the 2025-26 Education Budget includes “$140 million to support 26 new or replacement schools and three major renovation projects that are currently underway.”

As for for the Prairie Valley School Division, the Government of Saskatchewan said it has addressed their top capital priority in 2023 with a new renovation and expansion for Greenall High School in Balgonie.

“Prairie Valley’s top 3 capital priorities for 2026-27 does not include either a new elementary or high school in White City as part of their submission,” the statement read.