In January 2025, the Ministry of Education approved over $17.8 million in Capital Priorities Program funding to the Bluewater District School Board (BWDSB) to build a new school in Port Elgin. The new school will complement Northport Elementary School and Port Elgin-Saugeen Central School and will be for grades JK to grade six. The subject lands are located at the northern end of Port Elgin, west of Highway 21 and south of Concession 10.
The proposed school block is within Phase 11 of the proposed Summerside Subdivision and the Landscaped Open Space area for the school site is 55%, which exceeds the minimum required for an Institutional (I) zone, which is 25%.
Rendered illustration (Saugeen Shores) – For larger view, click on image
To support the development of the proposed school block, Waterloo Street is being extended north and will connect to Concession 10.
Sixty-eight (68) parking spaces are proposed, which far exceeds the number of parking spaces required for a school site. A total of twenty-eight (28) parking spaces are required, in accordance with Town of Saugeen Shores Zoning By-law 75-2006 parking requirements. A School, Elementary (Public or Private) requires 1 parking space for each classroom, plus either one additional space for each office or, if the school contains a place of assembly, parking spaces are required for the place of assembly based on area. Eighteen (18) classrooms are proposed, with ten (10) additional parking spaces required based on the size of the assembly area with no fixed seating, for a total of twenty-eight (28) required parking spaces. Three (3) accessible parking spaces are being provided, which exceeds the requirements for the site by one (1) space.
Deputy Mayor Diane Huber said that the plan for everything to be off-street is “a good thing”. On another issue, she pointed out that, with the new school opening in 2028, the existing high school is inadequate and will be unable to accept more grade seven and eight students. “I hope that the case for secondary school expansion has been started.”
Councillor Cheryl Grace also raised the point that the asphalt play area should have been brought up at the Accessibility Committee. Committee Chair, Huber, agreed that it should have been raised but had not. “Asphalt is not only hard, it is very hot.”
When it comes to parking, although the proposed spaces of 68 far exceed the official number of 28 required under the By-law, Mayor Luke Charbonneau feels the number is still inadequate. “It’s good to see 68 parking spots. We have a by-law that only requires 28 spaces resulting in hundreds of cars at schools for drop-offs and pick-ups and we end up with cars all over the surrounding streets creating hazards that we can’t control. Has the board had any traffic counts at schools in real-life? We should push really hard to have more parking spaces. The by-law is not adequate. At nine in the morning and three in the afternoon there are hundreds of cars.”
Councillor Bud Halpin said that issue is not about parking but the number of parents who drive their kids to and from school. “In the past, kids walked to school and no one got driven to and from school. Today, there are more and more cars driving to the schools all the time. Can we ask if the drop-off and pick-up spots (at the new school) are sufficient and won’t cause excessive parking on our streets to try to eliminate the problem we have at the other schools before it happens?”
Halpin said that it “…isn’t so much about addressing the number of parking spaces but addressing the traffic flow in and out and that they (Schoolboard) has a plan for that.”
Candace Hamm, Development Services Officer, said that she would take the concerns to the Bluewater School Board for discussion.
According to the report presented at Town Council’s meeting on February 17th by Hamm, “The proposed new school represents an important investment in community infrastructure that supports planned growth, educational needs, and overall quality of life. In addition to addressing capacity pressures, the school is intended to function as a neighbourhood focal point that contributes to community connection and shared use opportunities.”
No name has yet been decided for the new school.
