At Niverville Town Council’s regular evening meeting on Tuesday, July 15, council gave First Reading to By-Law 879-25, which would rezone a piece of land in the Highlands West area from Agricultural Limited to Educational/Institutional. This move has sparked local curiosity and speculation.
Could a new school be coming to the west side of town?

Mayor Myron Dyck and Chief Administrative Officer Eric King, who offered some insight, stopped short of confirming any official plans.
“Yeah, so there was a map,” said Mayor Dyck, describing the land in question. “So, if you go down Krahn Road, there’s a 10-acre treed piece of land where a homestead used to stand. West of that is approximately 160 acres of farmland, part of which the developer is asking to be rezoned.”
The property, owned by Len Peters, lies south of Highway 311, on the west side of Niverville, and west of Krahn Road, near the dead end.
While the Mayor and CAO confirmed the zoning change request, they emphasized that no formal school announcement has been made.
Dyck said, “So it's kind of like when we did the zoning change for when the movie studio came to Niverville. Obviously, there's something in play. It will materialize in time... but we are not able to say anything more.”
Developer prepares, just in case
When asked if this means a school is definitely coming, Eric King was quick to clarify.
“No, there's no school being planned. There is no school division involved at this point. There is nothing going on. Let's put it this way, when you start a neighbourhood, you have to have a school site.”
King notes that the zoning change was initiated by the developer, not a school division. The developer who owns the 160 acres on the west side of Krahn Road is simply preparing the land to include a space that could one day be used for an educational institution, if needed.
“This is merely the land that, at such a time as the province says you've now reached critical mass, and they want to announce whatever school it is, they can,” Dyck said. “But nothing happens without the province saying so.”
In other words, this move is more about being prepared than making promises.
Growth means planning ahead
Niverville continues to grow, and that growth will eventually require more classrooms.
Dyck says, “We've started lots of neighbourhoods and all of them require a certain amount of classroom space before the subdivision can be fully built. Our population keeps growing. When Niverville High School was built, it was because the population got substantial enough to possibly warrant it.”
“If you’re putting in X number of homes per acre, you can do the math and figure out how many kids that means. And if the existing schools can’t handle it, you can’t just build houses without having a plan for a school. You get into trouble.”
No announcement yet
Despite the rumours, the Town insists that this is not an announcement of a new school.
Dyck says, “Developers aren't even allowed to say a school is coming, that’s a provincial rule. So again, this is just making sure that, if the province ever decides we need one, we’ll have a space for it. Could be five years, could be ten, could be twenty.”
A Public Hearing will now be scheduled as the next step in the by-law process. Residents will have the opportunity to share their thoughts and ask questions before Council gives the rezoning final approval.
For now, no school is officially planned, but the space is being saved, just in case Niverville's rapid growth demands one.