Brian Mulroney Elementary School celebrates official opening

Brian Mulroney Elementary School celebrates official opening

New school in Orléans first in Canada to be named after 18th prime minister

Wednesday marked the official ribbon-cutting at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board's (OCDSB) newest school in Orléans, with hundreds of "Mulroney Muskrats" packing the gymnasium to cheer the occasion.

Classes started last month at Brian Mulroney Elementary School, named after Canada's 18th prime minister who died in 2024.

Along with students from JK through Grade 5, members of Mulroney's family attended the ceremony at the new building on Spring Valley Drive.Mila Mulroney, the former prime minister's widow and chancellor of St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, cut the ribbon alongside all four of their children."A school bearing Brian Mulroney's name that stands in Ottawa means such a great deal to all of us," she said.

It's the first school in Canada named after Brian Mulroney, who served as prime minister from 1984-1993.

Politicians and school officials join Mila Mulroney, right, at the official opening of a new school named after her husband, the late former prime minister Brian Mulroney, in Ottawa. (Mathieu Deroy/CBC)

Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra also attended the event and reminisced about getting an encouraging call from Brian Mulroney on what he described as his "worst day" in politics. Mila Mulroney also told the students about her late husband's reputation as Canada's "greenest prime minister," referring to his environmental policies. OCDSB CEO Stacey Kay said the school was built on a commitment to environmental stewardship and eco-friendly infrastructure, so it serves as a fitting tribute to its namesake.