Last week, Adriana LaGrange, Alberta’s education minister, announced that the provincial government would spend $5 million to help build 26 new school playgrounds.
The playgrounds would be built in 18 school divisions around the province. Only schools where playgrounds had already been planned—either through a replacement building or a new build that had been announced in 2013—will qualify for this new funding.
The current funding model has the provincial government covering up to $250,000 per school toward construction costs of new playgrounds. Anything beyond $250,000 has to be covered through fundraising efforts. Nine of the new projects will be maxing out their provincial playground funding.
This funding will not increase the capital spending budget for the Ministry of Education. It will be allocated from the current capital budget. The release didn’t indicate which capital projects the education ministry would need to shelve to make this funding initiative possible.
These are where the playgrounds will be constructed:
| School division | Playground project | Funding |
| Battle River School Division | Bashaw School | $150,000 |
| Chester Ronning Replacement School | $212,000 | |
| Buffalo Trail School Division | E.H. Walter School | $250,000 |
| Irma School | $250,000 | |
| Calgary School Division | New Brighton School | $100,000 |
| Peter Lougheed School | $250,000 | |
| William D. Pratt School | $250,000 | |
| Calgary Roman Catholic Separate School Division | Our Lady of Grace School | $50,000 |
| East Central Alberta Catholic Separate School Division | St. Thomas Aquinas School Replacement | $250,000 |
| Edmonton Catholic Separate School Division | Ben Calf Robe | $250,000 |
| St. Brendan Catholic School | $105,000 | |
| Edmonton School Division | Ivor Dent School | $250,000 |
| Mature Neighborhood Project (Westlawn Cluster) | $250,000 | |
| Mill Creek School | $242,000 | |
| Elk Island School Division | Ardrossan Elementary | $210,000 |
| Grasslands School Division | Tilley Replacement School | $190,000 |
| Northern Lights School Division | Cold Lake Elementary School | $132,000 |
| Palliser School Division | Huntsville School | $215,000 |
| Parkland School Division | Prescott Learning Centre | $150,000 |
| Stony Plain Central Replacement School | $240,000 | |
| Prairie Land School Division | Delia School Replacement | $162,000 |
| Prairie Rose School Division | Schuler School | $132,000 |
| Red Deer School Division | Westpark Middle School | $250,000 |
| St. Paul School Division | Ashmont Elementary and Secondary Replacement School | $245,000 |
| St. Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic Separate School Division | Replacement of Father Lacombe Catholic School | $250,000 |
| Sturgeon School Division | Sturgeon School Division Camilla School Replacement | $190,000 |
