$20M for Masham School

Masham received a whopping $20 million for a two-year expansion project for l’École au Coeur-des-Collines.

Yes, you heard that right – $20 million! It’s the largest sum of provincial cash that Masham has seen in memorable history.

The announcement was supposed to be accompanied by a big celebration on June 13. Minister Mathieu Lacombe and MNA Robert Bussière were scheduled to join community members in a groundbreaking ceremony — an event where community leaders plunge shovels into the ground to symbolize infrastructural progress.

However they didn’t show up. In fact, they canceled their appearance five minutes before the 11 a.m. event. Lacombe couldn’t attend due to health issues. But it remains unclear as to why local Bussière, who lives less than a kilometer from the school, didn’t make his appearance. The Low Down reached out to the Les Centre de services scolaire des Portages-de-l’Outaouais (CSSPO) for information about the expansions.

But because provincial representatives were absent, the school board could not reveal specific details. Even though provincial politicians were not present, La Pêche Mayor, Guillaume Lamoureux was on the construction site to share his excitement about new developments.

“I don’t know why [the MNAs] cancelled, but I imagine they have a good reason. Regardless, their absence is a small detail in this great project,” said Lamoureux. “The development of the school is great news for the town.” The expansion is long-awaited by Masham parents. According to a Low Down article from 2016, locals were upset that Masham’s elementary school–with over 400 students– was previously overlooked for provincial funding.