Education and Child Care
Students of Victoria High are learning in new, safer classrooms as work is complete on the upgrade and expansion of the school.
“Our government continues to build, expand and upgrade schools throughout the province in order to meet the needs of B.C. students and their families,” said Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care. “I am excited that now more students will have access to an upgraded and modern Victoria High.”
The Province provided $97 million to complete the seismic upgrade and expansion project, with the Greater Victoria School District providing $3 million. The new addition creates spaces for 200 more students, and includes a new library and learning commons.
Victoria High’s new neighbourhood learning centre will also include new child care spaces with the Province providing $1.3 million from the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund. The spaces are expected to be available in 2025.
“Families need to be able to access quality child care services close to their homes and our government is working with school districts to deliver this,” said Mitzi Dean, Minister of State for Child Care. “The new spaces at Victoria High will be a huge benefit to families and the community.”
As part of the upgrade, the interior was reconfigured for more classrooms while keeping many of the historic features of the 110-year-old school, and incorporating Indigenous designs that honour local First Nations.
The school district worked with Indigenous artists and knowledge keepers for the design elements that are now a part of all areas in the school, including the Songhees Nation, Esquimalt Nation, Métis Nation of Greater Victoria, and the Urban Peoples House Indigenous Advisory.
Built with sustainability in mind, the addition also has energy efficiency features and holds a LEED Gold equivalent.
“On behalf of the board of education, thank you to all who contributed to the seismic renovation and addition at Victoria High School,” said Nicole Duncan, board chair, Greater Victoria School District. “We acknowledge the complexity in preserving this important heritage landmark and doing so during a global pandemic. Our goal was to create an inclusive and modern learning environment that supports the diverse interests and aspirations of students and staff.”
Over the past seven years, the Province has completed seismic upgrades at Campus View Elementary and Braefoot Elementary and is building a new replacement school at Cedar Hill Middle School in the Greater Victoria School District. With more than $166 million in funding, these school upgrades will support 2,385 seismically safer seats for students.
Since September 2017, the Government of B.C. has approved the construction of 25,000 new student spaces and 36,000 seismically safer seats. The Province has provided more than $4 billion for new and improved schools, and for land purchases for future schools.
Budget 2024 includes approximately $3.75 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.
Quotes:
Grace Lore, MLA for Victoria-Beacon Hill –
“The new Victoria High is a hub that provides access to programs and services that support lifelong learning and skill development for our community. I am excited to know that as our government opens more new schools, that it fosters collaboration with the community and empowers young people to reach their full potential.”
Rob Fleming, MLA for Victoria-Swan Lake –
“It’s important that our students are learning in safe and engaging spaces that reflect the community. Victoria High is a vital learning hub and our government is committed to providing excellent learning environments for students here in Victoria. The tradespeople who worked on seismically upgrading and beautifully restoring this iconic heritage building should be extremely proud of their work.”
Learn More:
For more information about the Greater Victoria School District, visit: https://www.sd61.bc.ca
For more information about major public school capital projects underway, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/administration/capital/major-capital-projects
To learn more about B.C.’s Seismic Mitigation Program, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/administration/capital/seismic-mitigation
