At a meeting last Tuesday, Thames Valley District School Board trustees voted to acquire land for a new Belmont school through the Expropriations Act.
The property is in the sixth phase of the Craigholme Estate subdivision on Concession 7, west of Belmont Road.
Two years ago, the province approved $8.7 million in funding to build the school that would accommodate 345 students.
Elgin school board trustee Bruce Smith says no deal has been reached with the developer, however expropriation may not be necessary if both sides can come to an agreement.
It’s a first for the Thames Valley District School Board.
Smith told myFM it is definitely not the preferred method of obtaining the land.
Approval for the school was announced in June of 2020 and area residents had waited four years for the news.
It was hoped the school would open for the 2023-2024 school year.
Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP Rob Flack says its time to get the deal done.
With a possible delay in opening, Flack worries more capacity may have to be added to the new school.
In making the funding announcement in 2020, then MPP Jeff Yurek noted, “It means a new, safe facility for young learners in the South Dorchester, Westminster and Belmont communities. It means that Springfield and New Sarum students will continue to benefit from the tradition of great things happening in those schools.
“It means that rural children will not spend a significant portion of the day on a school bus and instead can learn and grow as part of their home communities.
“And finally, it means East and Central Elgin remain viable places for those students to grow up in and build a future.”
Written by Ian McCallum
