Source publication date: Not displayed on the official source page; the DDSB sitemap was last modified September 30, 2026, used only as a discovery clue
Playground opening: July 2026
Community: Cannington / Brock Township
Format: Official Durham District School Board community update
Original source: DDSB — Cannington community raises $110,000 to build a new playground for local school
People mentioned: Shirley Ostertag, chair of the McCaskill’s Mills Public School Community Council; Peter Bozanis, school principal
Verification date: October 1, 2026
Families, businesses, organizations, staff and neighbours raised $110,000 for a new playground at McCaskill’s Mills Public School in Cannington, according to the Durham District School Board.
The board says the playground opened in July 2026 after an eight-year effort that began when the school community council learned the aging structure was nearing the end of its service life.
Campaign exceeded its original goal
The school community initially estimated it would need $80,000. DDSB says the Cannington Lions Club provided a $5,000 donation in early 2025, followed by donations, fundraisers, sponsorships and matching gifts from September 2025 through February 2026.
The final $110,000 total exceeded the original target by $30,000.
Old equipment was removed in stages
DDSB says repeated repairs and closures preceded the replacement. The large slide was removed in 2023, the remaining slide structure came down after failing inspection in 2024, and the monkey bars were removed in 2025.
School community council chair Shirley Ostertag described the new playground as the result of the community deciding the project mattered. Principal Peter Bozanis said the long campaign showed what a small community can accomplish together.
Sources and verification
- Durham District School Board — Cannington community raises $110,000 to build a new playground for local school, source publication date not displayed; full original checked October 1, 2026.
- DDSB sitemap, last-modified September 30, 2026 for this source URL; used only as a discovery clue and checked October 1, 2026.
- RobinReach newsroom inventory checked October 1, 2026 for duplicate coverage. The public DurhamPoliticians news archive returned a WordPress critical error during this run.
Image note: Unique original 1600×900 conceptual editorial image; it does not depict the actual school, playground or fundraising campaign.
Editorial status: Green, routine official school-board and community information.
Corrections: Contact DurhamPoliticians.com to report an error.