Mélissa Gélinas
Published in the Pontiac Journal on November 19, 2025.
QUYON – Onslow Elementary School students will temporarily relocate for the 2026–2027 school year while major structural work is carried out on the building’s concrete floors. The renovations, affecting several classrooms, are considered essential to protect the long-term integrity of the school and to complete additional upgrades that cannot be done within a standard summer schedule.
To avoid disruption during construction, the Western Quebec School Board plans to move Onslow’s students and staff to Dr. S.E. McDowell School in Shawville. They will be housed in the wing currently used by the Pontiac Continuing Education Centre.
The move is possible because adult education services will relocate permanently to the school board’s vacant building at 26 Leslie Street in Campbell’s Bay. That building will be
renovated from April to July 2026 and will welcome students and staff later that summer.
Only light refurbishment will be required to prepare McDowell’s adult education wing for elementary school use. McDowell principal Grady Robson says the transition will allow Onslow students to continue learning without the pressure and noise of major construction taking place around them.
According to Mr. Robson, the process includes several steps. The school board has scheduled consultations in late November 2025 with the Parent Committee and the governing boards of Onslow Elementary, Pontiac Continuing Education Centre and Dr. S.E. McDowell. A broader public consultation is expected in December 2025 or January 2026, and the Council of Commissioners is slated to make its final decision on January 27, 2026.
Work at Onslow Elementary is scheduled to begin in August 2026 and continue until July 2027, with a return to the renovated school planned for August 2027.
Although Mr. Robson acknowledges it is difficult to see the adult education staff and learners leave McDowell, he says they will benefit from moving into a refreshed,
dedicated space in Campbell’s Bay.
Photo: Students from Onslow Elementary will temporarily be moved to Dr. S.E. McDowell Elementary for the 2026/2027 school year to allow for major repairs. (CD)