A small Brock Township school community has pulled off something remarkable: $110,000 raised entirely through local donations to build a new playground for McCaskill's Mills Public School in Cannington.
The effort began in 2018, when the school's School Community Council learned the aging playground had already required more than $5,000 in repairs and was nearing the end of its expected life, according to the Durham District School Board. Over the following years, the structure was repeatedly closed for repairs and gradually dismantled — the big slide came down in 2023, the remaining structure with slides was removed after failing inspection in 2024, and the monkey bars were taken out in 2025.
At the same time, the council was grappling with how a small school community could raise the estimated $80,000 needed for a replacement.
The breakthrough came in early 2025, when the Cannington Lions Club provided the campaign's first major donation of $5,000. From September 2025 through February 2026, families, local businesses, community organizations, school staff, students and neighbours responded with donations, fundraisers, sponsorships and matching gifts.
Together, they raised $110,000 — $30,000 more than the original goal. After eight years of planning, grant applications, meetings, fundraising and setbacks, the new playground officially opened in July 2026.
"This playground is a symbol of what can happen when an entire community decides that something matters," said Shirley Ostertag, Chair of the McCaskill's Mills Public School School Community Council. "Our students watched their old playground disappear piece by piece. To now see them playing on a brand-new playground is incredibly special. This truly is a win for the whole community."
The project was driven by a simple goal, the DDSB said: to give the children of McCaskill's Mills Public School a safe, welcoming place to play for years to come.
But the campaign's impact extended beyond the playground itself. It brought together generations of people from across Cannington and the surrounding community, with each contribution helping move the project closer to reality.
"What started in 2018 as a conversation about an aging playground became an eight-year journey that showed us what a small community can accomplish when it comes together," said Peter Bozanis, Principal of McCaskill Mills Public School.
McCaskill's Mills Public School is one of 140 elementary and secondary schools and learning centres operated by the Durham District School Board, which serves Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa and the townships of Uxbridge, Brock and Scugog. The board has more than 80,000 regular day students and employs over 12,000 teaching and educational services staff.
While Cannington is a drive north of Pickering, the story reflects the kind of grassroots school-community fundraising happening across Durham Region — and the DDSB reminds families that its schools welcome community support for projects like this one.
