New schools ahead for SOSD

The Maples

Two new schools are being built in Seven Oaks School Division, specifically in the fast-growing community in Winnipeg’s northwest corner. These much-needed facilities are funded by the Manitoba government.

The first school, École Mino Pimatisiwin School will be ready for classes in September 2026. It is located 140 Mira Gate St. in the Aurora development at North Point; east of McPhillips at Murray Avenue. The Indigenous name is a first in the Seven Oaks School Division. It means to be human and live in harmony in an interconnected world. Mino Pimatisiwin is a sacred concept that translates to “the good life” in Algonquian languages, including Ojibwa and Cree.

“When I was asked to name the school, no other phrase came to mind but that; for me, this is the greatest honour,” said Mary Courchene, a longtime elder-in-residence for the school division.

The dual-track-French and English kindergarten to Grade 8 school will also have an infant and preschool program. The school will welcome over 600 students.

The second new school is also a dual-track-French and English kindergarten to Grade 8 school that will include 74 infant and preschool child-care spaces.

It will be in the new Meadowlands development (just west of Main Street and south of the Perimeter Highway) in the Rural Municipality of West St. Paul. Most of the children in West St. Paul attend schools in the Seven Oaks School Division.

“West St. Paul has grown by leaps and bounds. The new school will help to keep class sizes small while ensuing kids can go to school closer to home,” said Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Tracy Schmidt.

The school will accommodate over 600 students and will open in 2028.

“The announcement of the new K-8 school in West St. Paul is a welcome and much-appreciated investment in both the community and for the students of Seven Oaks School Division,” said Tony Kreml, superintendent of Seven Oaks School Division.