Earlier this year it was announced new schools will be built in some of the fastest-growing communities in Manitoba; Winker and Niverville.

Education and Training Minister Ian Wishart says they are working hard to ensure that construction will begin next year and that students will be in the classrooms by Sept. 2019.

Premier Brian Pallister explains that the province is also catching up on the repairs of existing schools in the province. This includes fixing the foundations, roofs, plumbing, and wiring.

“That catch-up job is monumental. It's enormous, it's analogous to what we have to do to fix up the province too by the way. We've seen the deterioration of our financial situation, as a province we've seen our credit rating downgraded under the previous government, not once but twice, and we know that our debt has doubled just in the last 6-7 years,” said Pallister.

The province is also making investments in other infrastructure projects, such as roads, bridges, drainage, and health care, which the Premier says were neglected under the former provincial government.

He stresses that right now, schools are taking priority.

“The schools in the areas we've announced are really needed, they rank as the highest priority schools ... fortunate for us we have a young and growing population,” he said.  

The new Winkler and Niverville schools will both feature child-care centres, accommodating 20 infants and 54 preschool children. Both schools will also be designed to meet a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver rating, making them energy-efficient buildings.