City, Province, and School Division Reach Agreement on Secondary Access to new school site

The City of Camrose is pleased to announce that as of April 29, 2025 a mutual agreement has been signed with the Province of Alberta and Elk Island Catholic School Division regarding the secondary access and transfer of the site to Blessed Carlo Acutis Catholic High School, allowing the school to open in time for the Fall 2025 term.

The City has been working diligently with the Province and Elk Island Catholic School Division for over a year to ensure that this goal would be achieved.

“Council identified that the opening of the school was a priority and took steps to make sure that the school was able to open on time, while limiting potential financial impacts and risks to the City and its taxpayers,” stated Mayor Stasko. “The City was not obligated to provide secondary access to the school, however under the current circumstances, Council determined it was in the best interests of the community to do so.”

The school was originally built with the assumption that the adjacent development of 26^th Avenue would proceed as planned. However, development did not happen as expected, so the City entered into an agreement with the Province and Elk Island Catholic School Division for the City to acquire and invest in building 26^th Avenue to ensure that there was the secondary access to the school for buses and staff.

“We hear our residents and their frustrations, especially when they feel like they’ve been left in the dark as we negotiate these complex and confidential agreements,” Mayor Stasko stated. “Unfortunately, the nature of these negotiations limited our ability to comment until we had reached an agreement.” 

“We acknowledge the efforts made by the three parties over the past year and that we were able to work toward an agreement that benefits the community, allowing us to maintain strong working relationships for future collaborations,” said Mayor Stasko “We look forward to welcoming new staff and students in Fall 2025.”

Council will be discussing this further when considering a Temporary Road Bylaw and options for construction of 26^th Avenue at the Regular Council Meeting on May 5^th, 2025.