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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, M ar ch 17 ,2 02 2 | 4 At Village Orthodontics in Oakville, we specialize in beautiful smiles using clear aligners and traditional braces. New Patients Welcome Schedule your complimentary consultation today! 647-496-1424 2-2983 Westoak Trails Blvd. Oakville villageortho.ca Book your Personalized Smile Consultation today For a complimentary policy review, call 1-855-241-1831 or visit caasco.com/springinsurance. Find a licensed CAA authorized broker at caainsurancecompany.ca/findabroker. 1 Auto and Home Insurance are underwritten by CAA Insurance Company. 2 To qualify for the CAA Member Loyalty Discount, you must be a current CAA Member in good standing (CAA Membership dues paid in full by membership expiry date). A La Carte Members maximum savings on auto insurance is 5%. ®/™ CAA trademarks are owned by, and use is authorized by, the Canadian Automobile Association. Certain conditions, limitations and underwriting guidelines apply. (220550-02/22) We Provide Getting-Spring- Enthusiasts-to- Their-Happy-Place Coverage Going out to enjoy the warm weather? Before you head to your happy place, check that your auto insurance covers you properly. A licensed CAA Insurance1 Agent can tell you if you have options like these: • CAA MyPace™, Canada's only pay-as-you-go auto insurance payment program with savings for those who drive up to 12,000 km/year • Exclusive CAA Member savings2 • Save up to 22.5% for bunding CAA Auto and Home Insurance The price of education has gone up. The Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB) heard a staff re- port on March 1 that re- vealed a total of roughly $23 million in funding gaps for the construction of three new schools. Milton No. 3 Catholic Secondary School has an expected gap of $10,243,945, North Oakville No. 4 Catholic Elementary School has an expected gap of $3,873,838 and Milton No. 9 Catholic Elementary School has an expected gap of $9,766,995. All three projects are currently going through pre-construction approv- als and have received fund- ing for their development from the Ministry of Edu- cation. However, that pre- viously approved funding is now believed to be well below what is needed. Ryan Merrick, superin- tendent of facility manage- ment services, credits that shortfall to significant shifts in the construction market as a result of the pandemic and supply chain disruptions. "The construction benchmark that is provid- ed by the ministry has not kept up with inflation in the construction industry. We're going to them first, asking them to approve ad- ditional funds for these projects, and then they may come back and fund all of it. They may come back and fund some of it, they may come back and fund none of it," said Merrick. Milton's population has been rapidly increasing over the years, and that growth is expected to con- tinue. Despite that, in 2020, the Ministry of Education requested that Milton No. 3 reduce the size of the school for cost consider- ations. Staff are presently working with the ministry to secure additional fund- ing to close the funding gaps. Patrick Murphy, a Mil- ton trustee and someone who works alongside the construction industry, said that in his experience, these kind of cost increases have become common- place. "This is the reality of the materials market right now -- it's absolutely bru- tal. That's why I look the way I do and I don't get any sleep," said Murphy. "Part of the challenge is when you're estimating a project now, everybody's gun-shy. So obviously they're going to put a certain amount of -- I'll use a dirty word, pad- ding -- in there." Separate action reports on each project are expec- ted before the board once a funding solution has been developed. Following a trustee question about whether the upcoming provincial election could have an ef- fect on local school funding being approved, Merrick said that there have been recent signs that the minis- try could help with the funding gap. "I would say there has been a lot of renewed inter- est in getting these projects approved through our min- istry staff, likely coming from downward pressure from the politicians that are in charge of those de- partments. After a couple of years, in the case of Mil- ton No. 3, of quite a bit of in- activity and lack of move- ment, we've had a lot of questions coming back and a lot of interest in pushing this forward," said Mer- rick. $23-MILLION FUNDING GAP FOR SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION REVEALED Significant funding gaps have been identified between the committed ministry money and the projected cost in the construction of three HCDSB schools, including the Milton No. 3 Catholic Secondary School. Metroland file photo ROLAND CILLIERS rcilliers@metroland.com NEWS