The municipality of Essa has finally relinquished the crown of “queen of portables”.

Essa Mayor Sandie Macdonald is happy to ditch the municipality’s unfortunate title of ‘queen of portables’.

With Thursday’s announcement that two new schools will be built in the township — Angus Catholic Elementary School at a site to be purchased in Essa and the new Angus Elementary School to be located at 152 Greenwood Dr. — Macdonald can pass the crown.

“This is the best news any township could ask for,” Macdonald said at a news conference at the site of the new Angus Elementary School Thursday afternoon. “It is a relief for our young people and our parents. Children can cross the street so they don’t have to go on the bus.

“I’m so proud of the team that put this together,” she added.

The new Catholic school will house 516 students and 49 licensed child care spaces and cost $24.3 million.

Meanwhile, the new public elementary school in Angus will house 593 students and cost $28.1 million.

Both schools are expected to be open by September 2026, according to Simcoe-Grey MP Brian Saunderson.

“I am very excited to be here to announce that we will be expanding our home team and building a school on this site,” Saunderson said as he presented the funding announcement. “We need to equip our young students with the tools they need to advance in their future careers.

“Part of our government’s focus is to ensure that the future of our young people depends on their education today,” he added.

According to Brandy Rafeek, who is the Simcoe District School Board Trustee for Adjala-Tosorontio/Clearview/CFB Borden/Essa and board vice president, the new schools will be more than educational resources.

“Schools are more than bricks and mortar,” she said. “These are community centers, another facility that can be used by community groups in the city.”

According to Macdonald, Essa Township has been advocating for new schools for several years.

He has seen schools with as many as a dozen portables.

“I think everyone will accept this announcement,” the mayor said. “Schools bring our communities together and help provide an identity to the community and the people who live in it.

“If you can give them a good place to give them an education, they will be successful leaders in the future,” Macdonald added.

According to Saunderson, the new schools in Essa are part of $1.3 billion allocated to build new schools and expand existing ones as part of the province’s capital priorities program.

The total investment, said to be the largest ever made in a single year, supports the creation of more than 27,000 new student spaces and more than 1,700 licensed childcare spaces in schools across the province.

While no date has been given for construction to begin, officials said it should be soon as they have committed to a September 2026 opening for both schools.