Hundreds more Vancouver students will soon be learning in a safe school as seismic upgrades are coming to David Livingstone Elementary.

“Nothing is more important than the safety of our students,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Education. “We’re working hard to give every student a seismically safe place to go to school, and we’re making great progress, with 41 schools approved for upgrades in just two and a half years.”

The Government of B.C. is providing up to $17.3 million for seismic upgrades at David Livingstone Elementary, which are expected to begin in fall 2021 and to be completed in spring 2023.

“People in our community have been waiting for David Livingstone Elementary to be upgraded, so we can be sure that children will be protected at school,” said Mable Elmore, MLA for Vancouver-Kensington. “This school has been a great hub for our community for over a century, and with these upgrades, it will be able to continue to serve local families for decades to come.”

The school was first built in 1913 and is rated as having a high risk of damage in a major earthquake. When the upgrades are complete, parents will benefit from the comfort of knowing their children will be learning in a seismically safe school.

“We are pleased to be closer in ensuring all our students are in seismically safe schools,” said Janet Fraser, chair of the Vancouver School Board. “We’re grateful for ministry funding to upgrade Livingstone Elementary.”

Suzanne Hoffman, superintendent, Vancouver School Board, said, “We want to move our students into seismically safe schools as quickly as possible. This announcement brings us one step closer to ensuring current and future Livingstone students will be in an upgraded school in the event of an earthquake.”

This investment is part of the Province’s work to accelerate the Seismic Mitigation Program and provide safe spaces for students throughout B.C. as soon as possible.

Since September 2017, the Province has announced $900 million for seismic upgrades or replacements, giving nearly 25,000 B.C. students a seismically safe school. This includes $289 million to upgrade or replace 11 schools in Vancouver, for a total of over 6,500 safe seats.

To continue this momentum, Budget 2019 includes a record $791 million over three years for seismic upgrades throughout B.C.