*Please see below a news release issued by the City of Burlington.
Burlington, Ont. — June 24, 2021 — Yesterday, the Halton District School Board (HDSB) announced that it has declared Robert Bateman High School surplus to its needs. As part of a provincially-regulated process, the HDSB may offer to sell or lease the property to a list of public sector bodies. As one of the eligible bodies, City Council is fully supportive of the City of Burlington taking the important next step of formally submitting an expression of interest to purchase the Robert Bateman site.
The City’s expression of interest will include the exploration of a partnership with Brock University to offer post-secondary programming on this site. In the fall of 2020, Brock University signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work with the City of Burlington to relocate the programming currently offered on its Hamilton campus to Burlington. The Robert Bateman High School site aligns with the City of Burlington’s goal to attract post-secondary education to the City.
This acquisition would push forward key objectives laid out in the City of Burlington 25-year strategic plan. Key pillars of this Plan include making Burlington a City that grows through attracting talent, good jobs and economic opportunity to the community.
In addition to exploring a relationship with Brock, the City also plans to partner with other institutions, ensuring that there is an adaptive reuse strategy for the site. This includes the Burlington Library relocating its Appleby Line branch to this location to develop a hub for learning and education.
“The partnership between the City of Burlington and Brock University has been in the works for a number of years. This strategically located site being made available presents a unique economic development opportunity and aligns with our strategic objectives of attracting a post-secondary institution to Burlington. We see this as a big opportunity for the City and look forward to continuing our work with Brock University and the City of Burlington to attract a new post secondary institution to Burlington.” — Anita Cassidy, Executive Director, Burlington Economic Development
“Brock University has long been committed to supporting community growth and vitality across the region. That’s why we’re excited to be working with our partners at the City of Burlington on the next step of this collaboration, with the goal of better serving our students and the wider community.” — Gervan Fearon, President, Brock University
“Brock has experienced tremendous enrolment growth from students living in the Burlington area, and the City of Burlington has been a terrific partner for Brock University. We look forward to working with the City on the next phase of our partnership and working to improve access for area students.” — Lynn Wells, Provost & VP Academic, Brock University
MAYOR MEED WARD’S TAKE:
Our community has made it clear just how important it is to retain the Robert Bateman High School site as a community hub, and a place of learning. That’s been a personal commitment of mine, and of this council. Our council has also had a long-standing goal of attracting post-secondary education to Burlington. Both commitments will now be realized with the relocation of Brock University’s faculty of education to the site, along with other partners like our library moving in. The site will remain a cherished part of our community and bring additional jobs and investment to Burlington.
LINKS & RESOURCES:
- Halton District School Board News Release: HDSB Trustees approve plans for use of former Robert Bateman High School property
- Government of Ontario Regulation on Surplus School Property
- City of Burlington Strategic Plan
—
*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor’s Media and Digital Communications Specialist
