Construction is well underway in the Clayton North area of Surrey at the site of the new state-of-the-art $55.2-million Salish Secondary school.

MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale Stephanie Cadieux, on behalf of Education Minister Mike Bernier, joined school district officials on a tour of the construction site today. 

Building the new school began in the fall of 2016 and is 60% complete. The concrete structure is in place and a roof will soon cover the construction already underway. This work includes exterior wall framing and insulation, interior steel framing, electrical work throughout the building and mechanical ducting.

(flickr.com)

The new Salish Secondary school will open to accommodate 1,500 grade 8-12 students in the fall of 2018. It will feature modern learning spaces to support B.C.’s new curriculum with a large open-concept student common area and high-tech labs. The school will also contain two gymnasiums, a fitness room, a theatre and numerous outdoor and roof-top social spaces.

The B.C. government is making record investments in modern, safe infrastructure projects throughout the province. In doing so, these construction projects are creating well-paying, family-supporting jobs. This project is anticipated to create about 170 local jobs. These investments are possible because of the fiscal plan of the B.C. government.

The construction project is also helping ensure young people get a chance to learn the trades, as it is being built under B.C.’s Apprentices on Public Projects Policy. This is one way the government is helping ensure more young people in B.C. get connected with skills training and apprenticeship opportunities. In the next ten years there will be hundreds of major projects underway in B.C. and by hiring apprentices, contractors help support families, communities and keep B.C.’s economy diverse strong and growing.   

Quotes:

Stephanie Cadieux, MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale –

“More and more families are moving to Surrey for its great lifestyle and community supports. To accommodate the growing number of students, more spaces are needed within the school district – the largest and fastest growing district in the province. I am thrilled to see construction of the new Salish Secondary is on track to serve families of the community well into the future.”

Shawn Wilson, chairperson, Surrey Board of Education –

“While our district has had its growing pains, our board is making the most of the opportunity to build new schools by ensuring schools like Salish Secondary incorporate the latest and best features of school design to support student learning, including the new curriculum and 21st century learning.” 

Quick Facts:

• Government has committed almost $529 million for 70 capital and seismic projects and 14 site acquisitions in Surrey, since 2001.
• In addition to this, the B.C. government is investing $217 million over the next three years and establishing a new joint executive project board with the Surrey School District to accelerate the construction of up to 5,200 new student spaces.

Learn More:

See project renderings of what the new Salish Secondary school will look like here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bcgovphotos/29566637995

For more information on the Apprentices on Public Projects policy, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/stories/public-project-contractors-required-to-sponsor-apprentices

To learn about the recent $217 million provincial funding boost to the Surrey School District, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2017EDUC0014-000153

B.C.’s new curriculum: https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/