Hamilton

Hamilton's new French high school 'a model' for how boards can share facilities

Local French public and Catholic boards will operate and inhabit a new high school on Hamilton Mountain.

Local French public and Catholic boards will operate and inhabit a new high school on the Mountain

Mitzie Hunter, Ontario education minister, announced $25 million for the new Hamilton French high school Tuesday. From left: Jean-François L'Heureux, president of the local French public school board; Melinda Chartrand, chair of the Catholic French board; Mayor Fred Eisenberger; Hunter; Ted McMeekin, Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale MPP, and Eleanor McMahon, Burlington MPP. (Amanda Kinnaird/City of Hamilton)

Hamilton is getting a new French high school — a facility that will be shared by the public and Catholic French boards. And Ontario's education minister says it's a model for how other boards can do the same.

The two boards — Consiel scolaire Viamonde and Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sude — will jointly operate and occupy the new 800-student high school at 16 Broughton Ave, near Upper Gage and Rymal.

Mitzie Hunter, Ontario Minister of Education, announced $25 million for the project Tuesday.

"Their collaboration is a model for how school boards can work together to share facilities," Hunter said at city hall.

The boards will operate their own schools on the property, with community space connecting the two. In a media release, the ministry called it a "state of the art facility" that "will be jointly operated and occupied by the French-public and French-Catholic school boards that serve the Hamilton area."

The boards are also pursuing money from Canadian Heritage, and are in the planning stages of the new school.