Restructuring Plan for Laval English Schools Sparks Community Concern
Faced with declining student enrolment and a projected financial deficit of $8.3 million for the 2025-2026 academic year, the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board is reviewing a plan to shut down two facilities. Details of the proposed changes were unveiled during a public gathering at Laval Junior Academy. The initiative directly impacts Our Lady of Peace Elementary School and Phoenix Alternative High School.
Elementary School Realignments and Financial Goals
The board’s proposal involves closing Our Lady of Peace Elementary, which is situated in western Laval north of Highway 440. Under this strategy, approximately 150 students would be redirected to Souvenir Elementary in the Chomedey sector, located about eight kilometres away. Another 20 students would receive the option of attending Souvenir Elementary or Twin Oaks Elementary, the latter being roughly one kilometre from Our Lady of Peace.
In addition, roughly 40 students from Crestview Elementary would be reassigned to Souvenir Elementary. According to the school board, shutting Our Lady of Peace would eliminate five classes and reduce staff positions, generating salary savings exceeding $730,000 and an overall annual reduction of about $1 million.
Local Pushback
Families have expressed strong opposition to the board’s strategy. Christine Baxter, whose child previously attended the elementary school, contends that the smaller setting provides essential personal attention.
“The principal knows every new student’s name,” she stated.
Baxter further suggested that Our Lady of Peace is being phased out simply to boost student headcounts at Souvenir Elementary. Furthermore, she noted that the board has not adequately considered alternative savings proposals brought forward by parents.
Future of Phoenix Alternative High School
Phoenix Alternative High School is also under review, placing its roughly 50 students in grades 9, 10, and 11 in an uncertain position. The board’s primary option is to move these students into a designated area at Laval Senior Academy, situated eight kilometres away. Alternatively, the board has floated the idea of closing Phoenix outright and dispersing its students into mainstream high schools with extra backing.
The board indicated that these relocations are necessary to move the adult education facility, CDC Vimont, into the Phoenix building due to mounting rent costs and infrastructure complications at its current site.
Concerns Over Social Stigma
Former Phoenix principal Christina Cichon, who managed the institution from 2012 to 2015, described the sole alternative high school in the region as a vital safety net for teenagers who struggle within conventional academic environments.
Cichon warned that co-locating alternative students inside a traditional high school could expose them to prejudice from peers and staff.
“It’s the Phoenix kids who [could be] hanging out and going through their separate entrance, maybe having a different schedule and time,” she said.
“There’s a lot of judgment that comes from parents, from teachers, from administrators, from other students.”
Instead, Cichon proposed that adult learners from CDC Vimont would be far more appropriate candidates for the space available at Laval Senior Academy.
Upcoming Consultation Milestones
James Di Sano, chairperson of the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board, mentioned on behalf of the Council of Commissioners that the administration will take time to examine public questions and feedback.
A special session of the Council of Commissioners is planned for Tuesday to outline the subsequent phases of the consultation, with a final determination anticipated in January.
