Summary

• Construction has begun on a new school addition at Nelson Elementary that will provide 100 additional seats
• New addition will bring the capacity of the school to 420 seats   
• Since 2017, government has committed to creating 1,490 new student seats and 4,315 seismically safer seats in Burnaby

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Families in Burnaby will benefit from more classroom space and improved learning environments as construction gets underway on a school addition that will create 100 new student seats at Nelson Elementary.

“Getting shovels in the ground at Nelson Elementary marks the start of an expansion that will make space for 100 additional students and raise the school’s capacity to 420 seats,” said Bowinn Ma, Minister of Infrastructure. “This work reflects our continued investment in Burnaby, where we have delivered 1,490 new student spaces and 4,315 seismically upgraded seats since 2017 to support safer, more supportive learning environments for families.”

Features of the addition

The new addition will include:

• four classrooms to reduce crowding and give students more space to learn and grow
• gender-neutral washrooms to ensure all students feel safe, comfortable and included at school
• breakout rooms for small-group learning and extra academic support

“This is great news for families in Burnaby,” said Paul Choi, MLA for Burnaby South-Metrotown. “Adding these new student seats at Nelson Elementary will help relieve pressure on local schools and ensure students can continue to learn in their own community as it grows.”

Supporting students in Burnaby

The Province is investing $6 million in Nelson Elementary.

Since 2017, the Province has approved more than $375 million to create 1,490 new seats and more than 4,300 seismically safer seats for Burnaby students. In total, 3,120 seismically safer student seats have opened, and 1,490 new seats and 1,195 seismically safer seats are underway.    

It includes projects that started construction in summer 2025:

• an addition to Kitchener Elementary, adding 500 seats and 20 classrooms, in the Willingdon Heights neighbourhood
• an addition and seismic upgrades to Brentwood Park Elementary, adding 165 seats and creating 435 seismically safer seats

“Projects such as this are critical to supporting student learning and success in Burnaby,” said Kristin Schnider, board chair, Burnaby School District. “It’s an important step forward in managing higher enrolment, supporting families and providing space for staff to do their best work – all of which strengthens our school communities for years to come. We’re grateful for the Province’s investment in helping us respond to the growing demand for space.”

Creating more student spaces in B.C.

Since 2017, the Province has approved $7 billion to create more than 47,000 new student seats and more than 39,000 seismically safer seats in B.C. schools.

Of these spaces, more than 23,500 new student seats and more than 33,000 seismically safer seats are already complete.

As the province grows, government remains committed to working with school districts and municipalities to provide students with safe, modern places to learn.

Learn More:

For more information about K-12 school capital projects in B.C., visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/administration/capital