A local Catholic school being forced to move out of its current location has been given $16 million by the provincial government for a new building, but a local Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) trustee worries the funds may not be enough.
Students from Dante Alighieri Academy have been leasing space in the former Bathurst Heights Secondary School, near Lawrence Avenue West and Allen Road, for several years. The Bathurst site is owned by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB). In September, all the site’s tenants, which also includes the North York Harvest Food Bank, are being asked to relocate to make room for the TDSB’s new John Polanyi Collegiate Institute.
Despite the government’s $16 million grant, local trustee Maria Rizzo, said the TCDSB is still about $12 million short.
“It’s simply not enough to cover the cost of a new building,” said Rizzo.
The Dante Alighieri students will be temporarily housed in the TDSB’s former Sir Sanford Fleming Academy building, come September, but Rizzo said it is only a “band-aid” solution, until they find permanent space or the funds to build a new school.
She said the government may consider allocating more funds if the TCDSB presents them with a “business case,” which would explain in detail what the money would support.
Meanwhile, Villa Charities, an umbrella of charitable programs aimed at Toronto’s Italian-Canadian community, owns 17 acres of land adjacent to the academy. Rizzo said The TCDSB and Villa Charities have been exploring the possibility of a joint educational/cultural facility.
“We happen to be next door to Dante”, said Villa CEO, Pal Di Iulio. “And we understand from the TCDSB that there’s a need for a school, and we are talking to them in the sense that there’s all this land here. What’s the best way to develop this land?”