A new Burnaby elementary school will bring additional student seats to the community.

“As more people choose to call B.C. home, our government is continuing to build, expand and upgrade schools across the province,” said Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care. “This project in Brentwood will provide more student space in Burnaby as part of our commitment to ensuring that students have access to safe, quality schools that are close to home.”

A new elementary school in Brentwood Town Centre-East is supported to begin planning as part of Budget 2024, which provides the largest budget for school-capital projects in the province’s history.

“Our school district is facing rapid growth. This investment is a welcome and important next step toward adding a new school in the Brentwood area – one of the fastest-growing communities in the province,” said Bill Brassington, chair, Burnaby Board of Education. “A place to go to school is an integral part of any neighbourhood and ensuring children have safe places to learn is a priority we share with the Ministry of Education and Child Care.”

Over the past seven years, the Province has continued to invest significantly in new, expanded and seismically safer schools in Burnaby with more than $252.1 million committed to projects in the Burnaby School District.

Construction is underway on the replacement of Stride Avenue Community School, design work is underway on the pre-fabricated addition at Kitchener Elementary School, and Brentwood Park Elementary will receive an expansion and seismic upgrade. As a result of the projects at Kitchener and Brentwood Park schools, 540 new student seats are being created in the Burnaby school district.

This year, the new, seismically safe Burnaby North Secondary opened one of the largest schools in the province, supporting 1,800 students. This adds to the list of schools that have been seismically upgraded in Burnaby since 2018, including Seaforth, Parkcrest and Armstrong elementary schools.

To further support safe, upgraded learning environments for students, the Province is also providing the Burnaby School District with $1.9 million for minor capital projects at existing schools, such as heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) upgrades at Burnaby Mountain Secondary and Gilpin Elementary, and electrical upgrades at Capitol Hill Elementary and Cascade Heights Elementary. This minor capital funding will also support the purchase of kitchen equipment and a kitchen upgrade at Douglas Road Elementary and Nelson Elementary that will allow the district to expand its school meal programs as part of B.C.’s Feeding Futures initiative.

Since September 2017, the B.C. government has provided more than $4 billion for new and improved schools, and land purchases for future schools throughout the province. This has resulted in 25,000 new student spaces and 35,000 seismically safe seats at B.C. schools.

Budget 2024 includes $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:

Janet Routledge, MLA for Burnaby North –

“I’m excited that a new elementary school is being planned for our community. The students and families of Brentwood Town Centre-East will benefit for decades to come as a result of this important support from our government.” 

Kartrina Chen, MLA for Burnaby-Lougheed –

“The planning of a brand-new elementary school in Burnaby is much needed for our growing community. A school in Brentwood Town Centre-East will benefit our community by providing a safe, quality learning environment for students to thrive and grow.”

Raj Chouhan, MLA for Burnaby-Edmonds –

“Burnaby is a wonderful place to raise a family and I’m proud that families here can count on our government to support their educational needs. Our continued investment in Burnaby’s school community is an important part of that support.”

Quick Facts:

• Supported to begin planning means government is supporting the school district to proceed with developing a business case for the Burnaby Town Centre-East elementary school.
• When finalized, the business case, which details the scope, schedule and budget for the project, will be brought forward to government for final funding approval.
• Depending on the scale of a project, a finalized business case takes eight months on average.
• Following funding approval, the project proceeds to design and construction.

Learn More: 

For more information about the Burnaby School District 41, visit: https://burnabyschools.ca/

For 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 about B.C.’s seismic-mitigation program, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/administration/capital/seismic-mitigation