June 24, 2022 — Press release from the City of Burlington

At the June 21 Burlington City Council meeting, Council authorized City staff to take steps to complete the purchase of the Robert Bateman High School site. In addition to the direction to purchase the site, City staff were also authorized to:

  • Transfer ownership of approximately five acres of City owned-land to the Halton District School Board (HDSB) as a component of the land exchange for the Robert Bateman site. The City owned-land in question is located near Burlington Central High School and includes the high school football field and running track
  • Proceed with a long-term lease of a portion of the Bateman site to the HDSB
  • Proceed with the long-term lease of a portion of the Bateman site to Brock University

All matters related to the land transactions and lease arrangements are expected to be closed and completed this fall. Once all components are finalized at that time, the purchase prices will be publicly registered and released.

This acquisition would push forward key objectives laid out in the City of Burlington 25-year strategic plan. Key pillars of this Plan include making Burlington a City that grows through attracting talent, good jobs and economic opportunity to the community.

In addition to the partnership with the HDSB and Brock University, the City also plans to partner with other institutions, ensuring that there is an adaptive reuse strategy for the site and to create a sustainable community hub. This includes the Burlington Library relocating its Appleby Line branch to this location to develop a place for learning and education and the relocation of TechPlace, a hub led by Burlington Economic Development, where the tech community can connect, develop and grow their business.

Public engagement will take place in early 2023 to seek community feedback on possible uses for the remaining space.

Quick Facts

  • In June 2021, HDSB announced that it has declared Robert Bateman High School surplus to its needs.
  • In December 2021, Council provided direction to staff to submit a formal offer to purchase the Robert Bateman High School site
  • On Feb. 3, 2022, Burlington City Council endorsed next steps to advance the potential acquisition of the Robert Bateman High School site from the HDSB.
  • Shortly after, also in June 2021, the City of Burlington announced that an expression of interest would be submitted to the HDSB to purchase the Robert Bateman site through a partnership with Brock University.

Links and Resources

Quote

Marianne Meed Ward, Burlington Mayor

“We’ve hit another milestone in our quest to acquire this site for community uses. I’m glad this was a unanimous vote at Council. The deal is expected to close on Sept. 30, unless otherwise extended, and we should be in a position at that time to release more details to the public.”

Councillor Paul Sharman, Ward 5

“In 2017, after learning that Robert Bateman High School was going to close, at the request of many community members, I committed to make sure the City of Burlington would purchase the property for the benefit of all community members for generations to come. I worked to ensure that the site would be acquired at a suitable price and under acceptable conditions. It is a pleasure to report that the City has accomplished those goals. Although there is still more work to be done, we can all look forward to a grand opening ceremony of a wonderful new Burlington community centre and learning hub.” 

Editor’s note: Councillor Paul Sharman wrote an article for local-news.ca about the purchase of Robert Bateman High School earlier this month; click here to read it.