LAC LA BICHE - Pre-planning funding has been approved for a new school for Buffalo Lake Métis Settlement, which is the only Métis community in Alberta without an on-site school.
On March 20, the Northern Lights Public School division (NLPS) board of trustees announced that it had been approved for pre-planning funds.
Karen Packard, board chair of the NLPS board of trustees, praised the commitment. For nearly a decade, the board and Buffalo Lake administration have been advocating for a new school to be built on the settlement.
“We are excited to work with Buffalo Lake Métis Settlement on moving forward with this project and taking the next steps toward providing students with the opportunity to pursue their education in their community,” Packard said.
Currently, most of the students from kindergarten to Grade 12 who live in Buffalo Lake Métis Settlement are bused 23 km outside of the settlement to attend Caslan School. Buffalo Lake is located 50 kilometres southwest of Lac La Biche.
According to information from NLPS, pre-planning funding provided by the government of Alberta will be used for community consultation and to determine the scope of this project.
Officials with Buffalo Lake Métis Settlement have already identified a site for a new school. The school would be located close to other community services, and will provide opportunities for community events, extracurricular activities, and expanded programming outside of school hours.
Buffalo Lake council has done an “amazing job” of advocating for this project and doing everything possible to prepare for it, said Packard.
“We are grateful for their leadership and partnership and look forward to celebrating with them as we move this project forward towards construction,” she said.
In an interview with Lakeland This Week on Oct. 2, 2024, Stan Delorme, the chairman of the Buffalo Lake council, said having a new school in the community would mean a shorter commute, but also that students could receive more instruction in their Métis culture and heritage.
During that interview, Delorme noted that a site located on Buffalo Lake Métis Settlement had already been selected for the building, with water, sewer, power, and fibre optics installed over the past few years.
When asked about how much a new school would cost, Delorme said officials were looking at approximately $25 million. At the time, Buffalo Lake Métis Settlement was looking at two sources of funding, with half coming the federal government, and the other half from the province, as well as the community’s industry partners.
A new school for Buffalo Lake Métis Settlement is the third school infrastructure priority that NLPS has received funding for over the past two years. In March 2023, NLPS was approved design funding for a school to replace the 52-year-old Vera M. Welsh Elementary School in Lac La Biche. According to information from the school division, this project is currently awaiting approval to proceed to the construction phase.
In March of this year, NLPS also received approval for planning funds for a Cold Lake South Solution designed to address infrastructure needs at Art Smith Aviation Academy, North Star Elementary School, and Cold Lake Junior High.
“We are overjoyed to be making progress on three of the priorities identified in our capital plan at the same time,” said Packard. “These are all much-needed projects that will enhance learning for our students and meet the needs of families and our communities.”
