The provincial government is revealing details of this year’s capital commitment to school boards.

More than $1.6 billion will be provided to build new schools or renovate existing ones.

Education Minister Paul Calandra says they are making a record investment this year.

“We are not only building classrooms, we are building childcare spaces in every corner of the province,” says Calandra.

“We are meeting demands in our high-growth areas. We are meeting demands in the north, south, east and west. Every part of this province where there is growth will see opportunities for new investments.”

The province is funding 79 separate projects, Calandra says, that will create over 29,000 new student spaces and over 1,900 licensed child care spaces.

Sixty-seven of the projects were previously approved in this budget cycle.

The other twelve have been approved for funding over the next year.

The Education Minister wants to see those projects move along faster than they have in the past.

Proposed legislation that intends to change the roles of trustees and replace Directors of Education with Chief Executive Officers, also gives the Minister the power to intervene in the planning process.

He says that ensures projects are completed on time and focused on students.

“We all know this when we see a child come into a brand new school, the excitement that they feel when they see that investment. But it is also about respecting those educators who need to be able to work in state-of-the-art facilities if they’re going to be doing their job.”