Families in Burnaby will have 550 more student spaces in their community as part of the government’s plan to expand schools faster.

“With a record number of people choosing to make B.C. their home, our government continues to invest in our schools as more cities like Burnaby welcome new students to their classrooms,” said Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care. “This is one more way we are taking action to build and open more classrooms faster to meet the needs of our communities.”

With approximately $67.6 million from the Province, Cameron Elementary will receive a seismic replacement and addition. This project will add 425 new seismically safe student seats to support families in Burnaby for decades to come. Once complete, the school will have a capacity for 770 students.

This is in addition to $7.5 million in funding to add five more classrooms, which will provide another 125 seats, to the previously supported $22.5-million,15-classroom prefabricated addition in design development for Kitchener Elementary. The $30 million funding from the Province brings the total number of new student seats for families in Burnaby through the prefabricated school expansion at Kitchener Elementary to 500.

Over the past seven years, the Province has continued to invest significantly in new, expanded and seismically safer schools in Burnaby with more than $267.7 million committed to projects in the Burnaby School District. Through Budget 2024, a new elementary school in Brentwood Town Centre-East will begin planning, construction is underway on the replacement of Stride Avenue Community School and Brentwood Park Elementary is in the design stage for an expansion and seismic upgrade.

In 2024, the new, seismically safe Burnaby North Secondary opened. It is 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.

“It will be exciting for students and staff to return at the start of the school year with news of these important and welcome investments,” said Bill Brassington, chair, Burnaby Board of Education. “The number of students in our schools has been growing rapidly at an unprecedented rate, reflecting the ongoing expansion in the city of Burnaby. We are thrilled to work with the Ministry of Education and Child Care on these essential upgrades that benefit our whole community.”

Since September 2017, the B.C. government has approved $4.9 billion for new and improved schools, and land purchases for schools in the province. This has resulted in more than 35,000 new student spaces and more than 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 schools.

Quotes:

Kartrina Chen, MLA for Burnaby-Lougheed –

“Burnaby is a wonderful place to raise a family. The investments we’ve made in Burnaby schools will benefit families for decades to come. It’s critical that our government continues to support every family’s learning needs.”

Janet Routledge, MLA for Burnaby North –

“I’m excited that our government is building on its investments in our school community. Thanks to these efforts, students will have safe, quality learning environments to learn, thrive and grow.”

Learn More:

To learn more about the Burnaby School District, visit: https://burnabyschools.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