Could the sale of Widdifield help fund Chippewa improvements? One year from now, the board will be in a better position to answer that.
The Near North District School Board is putting together a report “regarding the feasibility of moving forward expediently with the sale” of the former school, located at 320 Ski Club Road in North Bay. So read the resolution to the board, as put forward by Board Trustee Jeanie Fuscaldo.
“I brought this forward,” Fuscaldo said, as “we have a responsibility to be financially responsible with our assets.”
Board members agreed and voted to prepare the report. The Board’s Director of Education, Craig Myles will deliver that report once completed – at the June 2025 board meeting.
Widdifield Secondary School was closed in September 2020, its former students were sent to either Chippewa Secondary or West Ferris. The provincial Education Act – Regulation 374 / 23 – allows a school board to sell or lease surplus property. However, as Fuscaldo outlined in her resolution, “if a school board is not currently using a property and will not be using it within the next 10 years to meet student needs, they must sell it.”
In April, the school board sold the former E.W. Norman site for $825,000 to Canadore College. The college also bought the former E.T. Carmichael site for $650,000.
See: Canadore purchases two former school properties
Fuscaldo suggested the Widdifield sale could fund “much-needed” repairs to the track and field at Chippewa, “among other initiatives.” The money would provide “students opportunities to participate in track and field events” at Chippewa, she added.
Trustee Howard Wesley, himself a Widdifield grad, referred to the board’s capital plan, which was presented when the schools were consolidating. “It said $21 million in work needed to be done to the building, and at that time, it was $208,000 for the utilities,” for the 2015 / 16 school year.
“It would be nice if we could find funds” for Chippewa, he added, “I think there are better uses of our money than holding a building.” Trustee Louise Sargent added that some of the funds could also be put toward West Ferris, “since Widdifield students went to both.”
Trustee Bill Steer noted that currently, the building is housing “a work centre, a teacher resource centre,” and there have been discussions about moving an adult education centre in, as well as creating a new board office.
The board does not meet in the summer, but Director Myles assured “we can hit the ground running in September,” on the report, “and by June we can have a very thorough study.”
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
