Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a), during the feasibility stage of a project, a cost estimate is completed by a third party consultant. This cost estimate becomes the basis for the proposed funding required for a project. As the project moves forward, this cost estimate is continually updated. The size of a school is determined following ISC’s school space accommodation standards policy, known as the SSAS policy, based on the number of students at the design horizon, meaning the number of students that would be attending a school 10 years after its opening.
With regard to part (b), the department allocates funding based on the highest health and safety risks and overcrowding concerns. Students from neighbouring communities affect the overcrowding scenario of a school, and this therefore contributes to a project’s prioritization for the allocation of funds.
As per the 2023 SSAS, an enrolment projection is completed by a demographic specialist at the feasibility stage of a project to determine the design.
The enrolment projection considers the attendance of students from neighbouring communities, as found in space accommodation standards at sac-isc.gc.ca.
With regard to part (c), according to the policy update, an enrolment projection for any major construction or renovation project is done by a demographic specialist. This projection is to include off-reserve students who would attend the school on reserve.
With regard to part (d), ISC’s funding allocations for school expansions and renovations, funding is allocated to approved projects and is not distributed across all schools); therefore, individual schools would not see an allocation decline in this regard.
With regard to part (e), ISC updated the SSAS in 2023 to require a demographic specialist to complete enrolment projections. This projection must include off-reserve students who would attend the school on reserve. This policy also applies to Sunchild First Nation. Prior to the 2023 update, the SSAS did not account for off-reserve students.