St. Joseph's Catholic High School getting expansion due to growing enrolment

St. Joseph's Catholic High School in Windsor will see the creation of 184 new student spaces, it was announced Tuesday.

Andrew Dowie, member of the Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Windsor-Tecumseh said the Ontario government is investing $3.7 million for the expansion.

"St. Joseph's Catholic High School is an integral part of the east Riverside community, and its growth and vitality are a reflection of the incredible learning environment that exists here," Dowie said during a news conference at the school.

Dowie said he was happy to add his voice in support of this "key investment," while applauding the work of the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board for "an incredible submission to the ministry, which really identified why this is a worthwhile project to invest in."

Funding brings some welcome relief

Fulvio Valentinis, chair of the Board of Trustees, said the expansion is being done to accommodate the needs of a growing community.

He said when the school was originally opened in 2006, it was designed for between 1,000 and 1,100 students, adding that the enrolment now exceeds 1,300.

Andrew Dowie, member of the Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Windsor-Tecumseh, said the Ontario government is investing $3.7 million for the expansion. (Chris Ensing/CBC)

Valentinis said the funding brings some welcome relief to the school community.

"The board wants to express our sincere gratitude" to Minister of Education Stephen Lecce, he said.

Emelda Byrne, Director of Education of the WECDSB, said now that the funding is in place, the next steps will be to select a qualified architectural team and then select a pre-qualified contractor.

"We expect to have all this completed by this time next year, with shovels in the ground by the summer of 2025," Byrne said.

"With an anticipated construction time of approximately a year, we hope to open the addition sometime in 2026."