The Northern Lights Public Schools Board of Trustees is pleased to share that it has been approved for pre-planning funds for a school on Buffalo Lake Metis Settlement.
“We are excited to work with Buffalo Lake Metis Settlement on moving forward with this project and taking the next steps toward providing students with the opportunity to pursue their education in their community,” said Board Chair Karen Packard.
Buffalo Lake Metis Settlement is the only Metis Settlement in Alberta that does not have a school located in its community. The majority of Kindergarten to Grade 8 students are bused 23 kilometres outside of the settlement to attend Caslan School.
The pre-planning funding provided by the provincial government will be used for community consultation and to determine the project scope. Buffalo Lake Metis Settlement has already identified a site for the new school that will co-locate it with other community services, and provide opportunities for community involvement, extracurricular activities and expanded programming outside of school hours.
The Board and Buffalo Lake Metis Settlement Council have been advocating for a new school to be built on the settlement for close to a decade.
“Buffalo Lake Council has done an amazing job of advocating for this project and doing everything they possibly could to prepare for this project,” said Packard. “We are grateful for their leadership and partnership and look forward to celebrating with them as we move this project forward towards construction.”
This is the third school infrastructure priority the Board has received funding for over the last two years. In March 2023, the Board was approved for design funding for a replacement school for Vera M. Welsh Elementary School in Lac La Biche. That project is now awaiting approval to proceed to the construction phase. Earlier this month, NLPS received approval for planning funds for a Cold Lake South Solution which will address infrastructure needs at Art Smith Aviation Academy, North Star Elementary School and Cold Lake Junior High.
“We are overjoyed to be making progress on three of the priorities identified in our capital plan at the same time,” said Packard. “These are all much-needed projects that will enhance learning for our students and meet the needs of families and our communities.”
More Information: 2024-2027 Capital Plan