The Frontier School Division Board of Trustees officially approved a new five-year plan on April 21, 2026, to address infrastructure needs across its vast network of schools in northern Manitoba. The board has directed division administrators to meet with the Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister, Tracy Schmidt, to discuss the specific capital requirements necessary to maintain and improve these facilities.
The approved document, known as the Five Year Capital Plan, was presented by Secretary-Treasurer Paul Critchley during the board meeting held in Winnipeg. The plan is designed to guide future investments for the division, which covers 75 per cent of the province’s land mass and operates 39 schools serving over 6,200 students. Nearly 90 per cent of these students are Indigenous, Métis, or Inuit.
For residents of Norway House, the plan is a key step in ensuring ongoing improvements to local learning environments. The community is already slated for renovations and building updates to the Helen Betty Osborne Ininiw Education Resource Centre and Jack River School, projects established through a federal-provincial collaboration announced in November 2024 by Indigenous Services Canada.
The division’s focus on infrastructure comes alongside a recent provincial announcement of $79.8 million in new school funding for the 2026-27 school year, which includes $15.2 million earmarked for capital support. The board, led by Chairperson Linda Ballantyne and Vice-Chairperson Marion Pearson, aims to use these discussions with the provincial government to address the ongoing needs of managing aging buildings and meeting current building code standards throughout the division.
