Breaking ground on new Saskatoon city centre school

WATCH: A new school meant to amalgamate several in the Saskatoon city centre broke ground on Monday.

After years of planning, and a few hiccups, on Monday officials broke ground on Saskatoon’s newest public school serving the city centre.

Community leaders, representatives from the Saskatoon Public Schools Division (SPSD) and some future students were on hand for a sod turning ceremony at the site of the City Centre Project.

“This is quite an amazing day,” said Everett Hindley, minister of education. “I think you saw the excitement in the crowd here this morning amongst the students, the board members, teachers and staff and the principal and everyone who is here today. It’s been a long time coming.”

The province originally committed to the project in March of 2020.

When the Princess Alexandra School was torn down at the end of the 2022 school year, officials hoped to have the new facility open by 2025. Work was soon delayed after an anticipated capital partner pulled out, according to the Saskatoon Public School Division.

“Our board was in the middle of several conversations with potential partners for the project, so that added to a little bit of a delay,” said Shane Skjerven, SPSD director of schools.

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“And then obviously through the pandemic, there was a bit of a delay. But as I said, we’re excited, I’m excited to get the project underway.”

The new Avenue H facility is the fourth school to be built on that land.

The new school will have room for 400 students from kindergarten to grade eight, as well as 74 child care spaces. Skjerven says it will take students from what was previously three different schools.

“We knew that there wouldn’t be enough money for three new schools, obviously, in these areas,” said Skjerven. “But the opportunity to build one state of the art facility that amalgamate into three communities was appealing to us, and I think to the community as well.”

The project was described as the community getting a brand-new bike that will be passed down from generation to generation.

“They’re going to be taught how to ride that bike,” said Vernon Linklater, SPSD Ward 2 trustee.

“They’re going to be taught how to change the equipment on that bike. And pretty soon, when that bike gets old enough, to give it away to someone else. And I think that’s what the school represents, is our community.”

The school board has been taking submissions for a new name that’s better suited than its current one, the City Centre Project.

“Right now, I think it’ll be getting all the names and kind of putting them into categories,” Skjerven said. “And then having conversations with, again, our Indigenous Advisory Council and our board to determine what the name would be.”

He says the new name will be announced in the fall, and construction is expected to take about two years.

-With files from Rory MacLean