To the drawing board for future DSFM school

Division scolaire franco-manitobaine has received the go-ahead to start developing architectural plans for a new French-language school that has been earmarked for Sage Creek.

In the spring of 2021, the Province of Manitoba announced a number of new school construction projects, as well as a number of renovation projects to existing schools across the province.

Now, officials and stakeholders at DSFM will embark on the next stage of the development of the future school in Sage Creek, which is tentatively slated to be open in 2025, in terms of discussing and exploring different planning and design elements.

"This next step is a step in the right direction and it’s very good news for the school division, as it’s helping us serve the needs of our community," Rob Dupré-Ollinik, DSFM’s secretary treasurer, told The Lance recently.

As with any project of this magnitude, there are lots of moving parts. While the final numbers have yet to be crunched, Dupré-Ollinik said the goal is for the future kindergarten to Grade 8 school to have space for around 450 students, as well as a daycare. Once the final architectural blueprints are approved, there will then be a tender process before construction can begin in the southeast Winnipeg neighbourhood, he added.

Earlier this year, the province also announced investment for a future Louis Riel School Division kindergarten to Grade 8 school in the southeast Winnipeg community, which — ultimately —should help alleviate enrolment demand at LRSD’s École Sage Creek School, which opened in 2017.