Students, families and staff are one step closer to a replacement for Carson Elementary School.

“Our government is building, expanding and upgrading schools throughout B.C.,” said Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care. “We are acting now to ensure all B.C. students have the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive in our province’s world-class education system. This new expanded school will serve the Quesnel community for years to come.”

Funding is approved to replace and expand Carson Elementary School. The Province is providing as much as $61.2 million to build the new school, which will have increased capacity of 195 seats for a total of 390 seats. The new school will also include an expanded gym and a neighbourhood learning centre that will be used to benefit the broader community by providing services such as child care.

“The Quesnel Board of Education would like to thank the Ministry of Education and Child Care for the significant investment and the building of a new Carson Elementary School,” said Tony Goulet, chair, Quesnel Board of Education. “We look forward to working with the ministry in the development of a new facility that will benefit the students and families of Carson and the community as a whole. The landslide has presented challenging times for students and families of Carson; however, a new facility will provide stability and certainty for these families that we are grateful for.”

A safety assessment determined the school should be replaced after a landslide in 2021 revealed that the current Carson Elementary site does not meet B.C.’s guidelines for safety against sliding. As a short-term solution, the school district has relocated four classes to portables on the south field. In 2022, government provided $2.1 million for the district to purchase a site for the future school. The replacement school is expected to begin construction in spring 2024 and be ready for students in fall 2025.

The Province is making investments in Quesnel to build capacity and support the community for future generations. This includes a $52.2-million investment for the recently opened Quesnel Junior school.

Since September 2017, the Government of B.C. has announced 24,000 new student spaces and 35,000 seismically safer seats. This is thanks to almost $3.9 billion the Province has provided for new and improved schools, as well as land purchases for future schools throughout the province.

Budget 2023 includes $3.4 billion for school capital projects over the next three years, including new and expanded schools, seismic upgrades and replacements, and land purchases for future schools.