(Photo Credit: Everything GP Staff/ Nathaniel Leigh)

By Nathaniel Leigh

Education

GPPSD receives provincial funding for major expansion project

Apr 14, 2025 | 12:04 PM

Grande Prairie MLA Nolan Dyck was at the Grande Prairie Composite Highschool Friday to formally announce funding to help expand the property.

The province announced in March, that if Budget 2025 passes, it will kick start their $8.6 billion investment to build more then 100 new and updated schools across the province.

(Photo credit: Everything GP Staff/ Nathaniel Leigh)

The Comp plans to use the funds to design a new three-story structure with 18 classrooms and enough room for an additional 450 students.

MLA Nolan Dyck says the Comp has experienced a 25 per cent population growth since opening in 2022, and will reach max capacity far faster then anticipated.

“Because of Grande Prairie’s growth we’re seeing more people enter into the public system,” Dyck says. “Which is the better problem to have. We’re seeing an incline, we’re seeing more people choose Alberta Education as well. Which we have some of the highest marks across the country and across the world.”

(Photo Credit: Everything GP Staff/ Nathaniel Leigh)

Dyck says the funding is part of the Province’s Accelerator Program designed to respond to Alberta’s growing population.

“It used to take many budget cycles to get through each section [of a construction project,” he says. “Now with the Accelerator there’s potential of getting those done quite a bit quicker. But you still have to hit and make sure all the things are checked off on each section, and that’s part of planning, design and construction. I’m going to continue to advocate for construction dollars once design is finished as well.”

Grande Prairie Public School Board Chair Joan Nellis says that the extra space was something taken into consideration when the Comp was being built.

(Photo Credit: Everything GP Staff/ Nathaniel Leigh)

“We build this school for 1,600 students as a capacity, but the infrastructure inside is built for 2,000 students,” Nellis says. “So, this will get us back to that number. It’s going to be a three-story addition on the westside of the school, and we’re hopeful that it’s quick and painless and then the Government of Alberta, Nolan, and his colleagues give us the money.”

Other local design projects to be funded by the province include a new permanent location for St. Thomas More School in Fairview.