The B.C. government has finalized the budget for the long-awaited elementary school in Vancouver’s Olympic Village. However, it will not be ready to accept students for at least another five years.
A school has been planned for the site on Columbia Street north of Hinge Park since 2007 as part of the city’s southeast False Creek official development plan. The NDP government pledged to expedite the project in 2020.
Nevertheless, the site remains an empty field while nearby schools grapple with overcrowding.
The province has allocated $150 million for the new four-storey school, which will accommodate 630 students and feature a rooftop play area and neighborhood learning center including a child care facility for 60 school-age kids.
“Although there is still sufficient space in many Vancouver schools, there are areas such as Olympic Village and Kitsilano experiencing significant enrolment growth, and this is expected to continue with new developments like the Senakw development,” remarked Victoria Jung, chair of the Vancouver school board.
“The funding provided will greatly ease the enrolment pressures faced by these communities, and we are deeply grateful to the province for their support.”
Construction of the Olympic Village school is scheduled to commence in 2027, with an opening planned for September 2029.
Map showing the location of the future elementary school in Vancouver’s Olympic Village
The education ministry described Friday’s announcement as a “significant step forward.” Education Minister Rachna Singh stated, “Our government is dedicated to constructing new and expanded schools in communities experiencing growth and enrolment pressures.”
Parents living in Olympic Village have endured a lengthy and frustrating delay.
Currently, parents must send their children to Simon Fraser Elementary School on West 15th Avenue off Main, which is approximately a 25-minute walk away.
According to school board data, the school was operating at almost 180 percent capacity last year. This means families who did not win the kindergarten admission lottery have to travel even farther to attend school.
Demand is projected to rise in the upcoming years as up to 50,000 new residents move into the area as part of the Broadway plan. The school board anticipates that Simon Fraser Elementary will be at 238 percent capacity by 2029.
For over ten years, a new Olympic Village school has been a top priority in the Vancouver school district’s annual capital plan funding submissions to the province.
The Education Ministry also intends to create space for an additional 145 students at Henry Hudson Elementary in Kitsilano, where a new replacement building is currently under construction.
The province will allocate an extra $15 million to fund six new classrooms, increasing the school’s total capacity to 535 students.
Henry Hudson is the nearest elementary school to Sen̓áḵw, the Squamish Nation’s proposed 11-tower, 6,000-unit development at the base of the Burrard Bridge.
The province has given $526 million for new, expanded, or earthquake-resistant schools in Vancouver in the last six years, including David Lloyd George Elementary and Bayview Community Elementary, which are both replacement projects.
— with files from Katie DeRosa
Related
- B.C. premier plans to finance the elementary school in Olympic Village but didn't specify when
- Dan Fumano: Families are urging Vancouver to remember schools as it plans for the future
- Agreement reached for location of upcoming elementary school in Vancouver's Olympic Village area
