Construction is beginning on the new and improved Richard McBride Elementary School, giving New Westminster students and families the quality education and child care they deserve.                                    

“Our government is working hard to give all students the best learning experience possible, and the replacement of Richard McBride Elementary is a great example of that,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Education. “We’re replacing the school with a new, expanded and seismically safe facility that will eliminate the need for portables and provide new, much-needed child care spaces for New Westminster families.”

The replacement of Richard McBride Elementary will provide up to $35 million for a modern school built with 65 additional student seats. The school will open in 2022, with a total capacity for 505 students. The New Westminster School District is providing $1 million toward the replacement.

“Our government acted fast to bring this school to local families, so their children could go to school in a safe building that gives them the best opportunity to thrive,” said Judy Darcy, MLA for New Westminster. “This is what we’ve been waiting for in New Westminster, and I can’t wait to see students walking through the doors of what will be an amazing new school and a true hub in New Westminster.”

To further benefit local families, the new school will also feature space for StrongStart and before and after school care programs, as well as a neighbourhood learning centre, where additional childcare spaces will be a priority.

“The board is very excited to award Heatherbrae Builders the contract to build the Richard McBride replacement school,” said Anita Ansari, chair of the New Westminster Board of Education. “The design proposed is innovative, focused on accessibility and grounded in the natural geography of the area. We are so pleased that the design plans on paper will now become a reality for our students in the Sapperton neighbourhood, with the generous funding provided by the Province and City of New Westminster. Our future Richard McBride students will have a place they love to learn, in a seismically sound, inclusive and energizing environment, and we're happy to begin the work to get them there.”

This investment is part of the government’s work to improve schools for students throughout B.C.

Since September 2017, the Province has announced nearly $1.8 billion for 79 school capital investments, including new and expanded schools, seismic upgrades and replacements, and land purchases for future schools.