Cornwall, Ontario – The Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario (CDSBEO) and the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) have successfully concluded discussions, resulting in a Memorandum of Understanding to exchange properties in Cornwall and on Thursday, March 29th this Memorandum of Understanding was signed by both school boards as seen in the photo above (taken by Mai-Liis Renaud).

Pictured from left to right: are UCDSB Director of Education Stephen Sliwa, UCDSB Chair Jeff McMillan, CDSBEO Chair Todd Lalonde, and CDSBEO Director of Education John Cameron.

What does this mean?

The Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario (CDSBEO) will be purchasing the site of the former General Vanier Secondary School from the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) and the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) will be purchasing Immaculate Conception Catholic School from The Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario (CDSBEO).

“This exchange is a great example of school boards working together to ensure that the best programming is available for all students while remaining fiscally responsible,” noted CDSBEO Chair and Trustee for the City of Cornwall and Glengarry County, Todd Lalonde.

Since the 1990’s,The CDSBEO and UCDSB have shared a common site located at 1500 Cumberland Street. (namely the former GV (General Vanier) building. The facility has been the location of St. Joseph’s Catholic Secondary School (CDSBEO) and the primary program site for TR Leger School for Adult, Alternative, and Continuing Education (UCDSB).

In January, the Ministry of Education announced that it would fund the CDSBEO’s acquisition of the former General Vanier Secondary School from the UCDSB. The former GV building will accommodate a new consolidated JK-6 Catholic school for Sacred Heart and St. Columban’s, (both schools that are being closed) as well as a grade 7/8 program for St. Joseph Catholic Secondary School. The new 7/8 program would accommodate all grade 7 and 8 students from Bishop Macdonell, St. Anne, and the consolidated Sacred Heart and St. Columban’s Catholic Schools.

The Ministry is also funding 2.2 million dollars to make changes such as adding four new kindergarten classrooms, new washrooms and a new bus loop, a fenced kindergarten play area, a large spacious green space for the Grade 1 to 6 students, as well as many additional classroom and washroom upgrades. The renovations are schedule to start this upcoming May.

In June 2017, the Upper Canada District School Board received word that the Ministry of Education would fund the building of a new public high school (grades 7-12) for Cornwall, consolidating the current Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School with St. Lawrence Secondary School. The Ministry announced it would commit $39 million for this project.

Immaculate Conception will be the new home for T.R, Leger which will continue operations at GV till the end of June and will open in it’s new location in September 2018.

UCDSB Chair Jeff McMillan added that “the integration of educational services in these facilities will help to address the immediate needs for program space that suits our current requirements. This is both a practical and a timely solution for our respective needs to serve students in the best way possible.”