Victoria School on Richmond Street has been purchased by Henan Education Cana...

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There are plans to give the 117-year-old former Victoria School new life.
A delegation from China was in the city on Friday discussing the intention to turn the vacant building into a private high school.
The school would include Chinese students and those from other countries. Local students would also be welcome to attend, said Norman Zhang, an Oakville resident who will be principal of the school to be called Victoria Academy.
"We looked at sites in Toronto, Mississauga and Markham but so many of the people there are from China," said Zhang. "We wanted to have a more Canadian environment."
Zhang, who represents Henan Education Canada Inc., said the company recently purchased the Richmond Street school from the Grand Erie District School Board. He estimates the company's total investment in the school, including the purchase cost and renovation, between $2 million and $3 million.
The plan is to initially have 250 students enrolled in Grades 9 to 12, with future growth, perhaps at another location, said Zhang. There will also be a need for student residences.
Chinese politicians and representatives from a middle school in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province located in north-central China, were among the delegation that arrived in Canada on Thursday night.
Zhang said Victoria Academy, which he hopes to open in September 2015, will be promoted within Zhengzhou and beyond.
Zhang said studies in Canada are highly sought by Chinese students. He said Victoria Academy will prepare students for university in Canada. He plans to make connections with Laurier, Nipissing, McMaster and other area universities.
The goal is to have the Chinese students return home with their degrees and make them more desirable in the country's competitive job market.
"We want to make sure the students have other skills, too," said Zhang. "We want them to learn multiple languages and have a bigger vision of the world."
The group spent Friday meeting with Grand Erie school board administrators and Mayor Chris Friel at city hall. They also toured Brantford Collegiate Institute.
Friel, who spent time with the visitors talking about post-secondary education in the city, called the project fascinating.
"It's such a great connection to China and the Chinese economy and culture," said Friel.
Zhang said he hopes to work with the Grand Erie school board to hire teachers and with Nipissing Brantford, which offers a concurrent education program.
Victoria School was closed in 2002, following a consolidation of the school area with Graham Bell School.
The facility was returned to use from 2003 to 2007 to house the Grand Erie Learning Alternatives Program following a move from leased facilities in the downtown.
The school was then used as a satellite campus for Brantford Collegiate Institute students during renovation of the high school.
The building has been empty since 2011.
"It's a great re-use of a closed school," said Jamie Gunn, superintendent of business for the Grand Erie District School Board. "There will be opportunities for connections between our students and those from China. There are lots of cross-cultural possibilities."