Capital Investments – Improving Ontario's Schools


The Ontario government is investing in a variety of ways to make schools better places to learn. When students are in good learning environments, they can focus on achievement and getting better outcomes.

Greening Ontario's Schools

As part of the 2009-10 budget, the government announced $550 million over two years to make schools more energy efficient, while supporting a stronger and greener economy. This Energy Efficient Schools investment includes:

  • $25 million for energy audits, studies and operational costs
  • $75 million for small equipment (interval meters, new lighting systems, automation systems, etc.)
  • $300 million for energy-reducing renovations (roofs, windows, boilers, etc.)
  • $150 million for 35 projects involving renovations and retrofits of existing schools.

In May 2009, the government announced $50 million for renewable energy projects for schools. This investment will support solar, geothermal and micro-wind technology for heating, cooling or generating electricity. Projects will begin in the 2009-10 school year and extend into 2010-11.

Good Places to Learn

Recent investments build on the Ontario government's Good Places to Learn program that was launched in 2004 to address the backlog of urgent school renewal needs and the need for new schools around the province. Projects included building new schools, expanding existing school facilities and reconfiguring school space to reduce energy costs.

Highlights of this $4.8-billion investment include:

  • $2.25 billion for the backlog in school renewal (Good Places to Learn Stages 1-4)
  • $700 million to repair/replace schools that are Prohibitive to Repair (PTR)
  • $700 million for the Primary Class Size reduction initiative
  • $280 million for new school construction for boards with pockets of growth in new residential areas
  • $220 million to ensure French-language boards can provide schools in areas where Franco-Ontarians live
  • $50 million to provide childcare in new schools through the Best Start program.
  • $500 million for the 2008-09 school year, which includes:
    • $120 million to top-up previous approvals to support the Full-day learning initiative for four and five-year olds and a 7% funding benchmark increase to recognize higher construction costs across the province and to support green initiatives at new schools
    • $30 million for pilot projects for new "green/energy" construction technologies
    • $350 million for 45 capital priority projects.

As of June 2009:

  • Over 13,000 Good Places to Learn school renewal projects – which include replacing roofs, windows and boilers – were underway or had been completed
  • Boards had been provided with funding to support 1,900 new primary classrooms and achieved the primary class size cap – with 19 out of 20 primary classes having a maximum of 20 students in the 2008-09 school year
  • PTR funding had supported 105 projects in 67 municipalities
  • Growth Schools funding had supported 30 projects in 15 municipalities
  • Funding for French-language schools had supported 31 projects in 19 municipalities
  • Best Start funding had supported 49 projects in 34 municipalities.

Overall, 400 new schools have been built or planned since 2003 through the Good Places to Learn program, New Pupil Places funding (for boards with enrolment that exceeds their school capacity) and other funding sources.

Quick Facts:

  • There are 4,900 open and operating publicly funded schools in Ontario (4,000 elementary and 900 secondary schools).
  • These schools represent 240 million square feet or 2.2 million pupil places.
  • Ontario's elementary and secondary schools have significant energy costs – nearly half a billion dollars each year.
  • Recent investments will help school boards reduce energy costs as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce energy demand and support more green jobs. 
  • More than 1,000 publicly funded schools will be made more energy efficient to give kids better places to learn and help boards save energy and reduce costs.