Site Selected for New Reserve Mines School

The Province has selected the site for a new school in Reserve Mines in Cape Breton Regional Municipality.

The new elementary school, which will replace Tompkins Memorial Elementary School, will be built on property behind the current school location in Reserve Mines.

“We have secured the land required for the school, which allows for the design process to begin this summer,” said Public Works Minister Fred Tilley. “This much-anticipated new elementary school will provide the next generation of students in the Glace Bay area communities a modern learning environment.”

The departments of Public Works and Education and Early Childhood Development worked on the site selection, which included detailed evaluations of land options and community feedback.

The new school will now advance to the design phase. This will include a steering team with parents, community members and school staff who will provide input on the design.

The new elementary school will accommodate 240 students.

Quotes:

“Tompkins Memorial Elementary is a community hub that brings together students and families living throughout Reserve Mines, Dominion, Gardiner Mines and Tanglewood. With this new elementary school, we are building a bright, modern learning space where this already vibrant school community will thrive. I want to thank everyone who took time to participate in the site selection process and look forward to seeing this exciting project take shape.”
— John White, MLA for Glace Bay-Dominion, on behalf of Brendan Maguire, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development

“I’d like to thank the school community for their continued hard work in making this new and modern school a reality. I’m very proud of staff for the great job they’re doing, and I’m really excited to see all the fantastic things we’ll achieve in this new space in the future!”
— Susan Kelley, Regional Executive Director, Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Education

Quick Facts:

• Nova Scotia’s multi-year school capital plan, with more than $1 billion in work, includes building new schools and investing in current schools to ensure the system meets the demands of population growth
• this school year, five new schools opened in Nova Scotia, including the new 600-student Breton Education Centre in New Waterford
• 19 new or replacement schools are currently advancing through the school capital process, with three opening in the 2025-26 school year

Additional Resources:

Nova Scotia School Capital Plan: https://www.ednet.ns.ca/capitalplan