SPRINGHILL – Two of the people vying to be Cumberland South’s next MLA are welcoming Monday’s announcement of a new school to replacing the aging West End-Memorial and Junction Road elementary schools in Springhill.
“This is something we have worked on for a long, long time and it’s great to see that hard work pay off,” said Liberal candidate Scott Lockhart, who won the party’s nomination on Sunday in Springhill. “A lot of people in the community have worked on this issue for many years and this is definitely a great announcement for Springhill.”
Earlier Monday, Education Minister Zach Churchill announced Springhill is one of 13 communities that will get a new school or a major renovation project over the next several years. It’s part of a $300-million multi-year plan.
Cumberland South Progressive Conservative candidate Tory Rushton is also welcoming the school, but said the McNeil Liberals better not play politics with the commitment.
Rushton is questioning the timing of the announcement on the eve of an expected byelection call in the riding vacated several months ago by the resignation of former PC leader Jamie Baillie, who was first elected in 2010.
“A new Springhill elementary school is absolutely my top priority, but I don’t want to see the Liberals use those students as pawns in a by-election,” said Rushton. “We need a firm commitment that school will be built, regardless of who wins the by-election. The community has been fighting for over a decade to have this school replaced. It’s time to get the job done.”
A new elementary school in Springhill has been at the top of the local school board’s priority list for four years. Despite that, former Education Minister Karen Casey and Premier McNeil built new schools in their own constituencies first.
In 2016, Auditor General Michael Pickup’s report says his office is “lost to understand why” two schools in Premier McNeil’s and Karen Casey’s constituencies were approved.
“The McNeil liberals have a long, sordid history of political school announcements and it has to stop,” Rushton said. “The Liberals MLAs should not be involved in picking school construction. It’s not right to play politics with our children’s future.”
Lockhart said the announcement had nothing to do with the byelection and win or lose, the school will be built in a timely manner.
“This school will be built, period,” Lockhart said. “It’s time we had some positive politics in Cumberland County.”
Twitter: @ADNdarrell
