Journal Staff
Journal Staff
MRC PONTIAC – Québec announced, on March 19, close to $16.6 million will be invested in 77 maintenance and upgrading projects at educational institutions in the Outaouais’ five regional school boards, this summer. The financial assistance comes from the budget of almost $740 million allocated for 2017-2018, making it the largest annual investment ever made for this type of work across Québec.
Stéphanie Vallée, Minister responsible for the Outaouais region and MNA for Gatineau, made the announcement during a visit to the Polyvalente Le Carrefour de Gatineau. She was accompanied by André Fortin, Minister of Transport and MNA for Pontiac; Marc Carrière, MNA for Chapleau; Maryse Gaudreault, MNA
for Hull; and Alexandre Iracà, MNA for Papineau.
Pontiac schools will benefitSchools in the MRC Pontiac were allocated $3,971,756
for 11 projects including Dr. S. E. McDowell, Shawville: $779,186 for repairs to
exterior walls, plumbing and other interior construction; St. John’s in Campbell’s
Bay: $462,611 to refurbish washrooms; Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Coeur, L’Isle-aux-Allumettes: $150,000 for exterior walls and windows facade rehabilitation; Poupore, Fort-Coulonge: $365,000 to refinish walls, ceilings and floors
Out of the total $740 million announced, $724 million comes under the Québec 2017-2027 Infrastructure Plan and stems from measures targeting building maintenance and for the reduction of the maintenance deficit for the 2017-2018 school year.
As of March 19, an additional one-time allocation of $15 million has been made available to all school boards for work that is urgently needed but not covered by the usual maintenance measures for immovable assets. This means that school boards will now be able to do much-needed painting, replace student locker doors and repair defective windows and door handles.
$832,796 to foster educational success
To support actions fostering student retention and success spearheaded by the Instances régionales de concertation (IRCs), an additional $832,796 will be allocated to the Table de l’éducation Outaouais inc. for the 2017-2018 school year.
There are IRCs in every region of Quebec, and their goal is to mobilize regional stakeholders and create local partnerships to promote conditions for educational
success. The mission and structure of each IRC are unique, since each one is adapted to the specific challenges of the region it serves.
