Ontario Unveils Plan to Build Modern Schools Faster

New measures will reduce construction timelines by nearly 50 per cent and get shovels in the ground faster

The Ontario government is introducing new measures to build modern schools faster that will cut construction timelines by nearly 50 per cent to meet the unprecedented pace of growth across the province. In Ontario, the average school construction timeline is 4-7 years, which comes from an obsolete capital process that has not been meaningfully overhauled since 2010-11.

For the first time, Ontario will ensure school boards are building schools in nearly half the amount of time it took before through a faster, transparent, accountable and clearer process that prioritizes shovel-ready projects. School boards will follow a more streamlined process to identify and dispose of unused property, generate more revenue to reinvest back in schools, create schools in mixed-use buildings like condominiums and use existing buildings in their communities.