Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announces $8.6-billion in school builds

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says as classrooms get over whelmed with new grade school students, her government will fast-track new school builds with 8.6-billion dollars over the next three years. In a televised address, Smith says the province's existing education budget isn't enough to keep up with rapid population growth in kindergarten to Grade 12 schools.

She says often the only thing holding back cash is school boards getting projects and sites ready for construction. The government is also changing the process of approving construction funding so school boards don't need to wait every year for the next budget cycle to get the go-ahead. Smith's announcement comes as the province's two largest divisions, Edmonton Public Schools and the Calgary Board of Education, say their schools are expected to have a utilization rate of well over 90 per cent this school year.

Smith says she expects the construction could lead to about 50-thousand new student spaces over the next three years, and 12-thousand-500 new charter school student spaces over the next four years.