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Message from the Minsiter of Education and Child Care
As we settle into a new school year, it is an exciting time to be a part of British Columbia’s education system. Students and staff are back into a routine, have reconnected with friends, and are well into tackling the new academic year.
Our government cares deeply about the health and wellbeing of B.C.’s children and youth, and we understand that the classrooms and schools they walk into each day set them up for lifelong success. It’s why we are making record investments to build and improve schools across the province. In five years, we have invested more than $3 billion in major capital projects to improve and build classrooms that are safe, modern, and engaging. While there’s still more work to do, students and families are seeing the results.
This fall, hundreds of students in Abbotsford are learning in new modern classrooms with the completion of Irene Kelleher Totí:ltawtxw. Built to LEED Gold standards for energy efficiency to help meet our CleanBC goals of reducing carbon emissions, the 460seat elementary school also incorporates outdoor spaces for student learning. We know that spending time in nature improves focus and increases cognitive abilities, helping to boost confidence, social and physical skills, as well as knowledge and understanding.
Another exciting project is the new secondary school planned in West Kelowna. This 1,200seat school will be built to enhance greenhouse gas reduction, achieved through high-efficiency
MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION AND CHILD CARE Jennifer Whiteside
redefining the classroom for 30 years
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HVAC and lighting systems. And to achieve higher resiliency in the face of potential fire threats in the future, it is being designed to incorporate noncombustible materials in construction.
These are just two examples of how our investments are creating modern schools across the province. In the last five years, we have completed more than 25 projects to expand or build new schools, including the first new school to be built in Quesnel since 1997. And we have an additional 37 projects currently under construction. We have also funded more than 33,000 seismically safe seats with many more projects expected to receive funding soon.
We know that classroom safety is a priority of school communities, and we continue to invest in safety improvements to our schools. We are proud to have invested in the seismic upgrade and replacement of two elementary schools in Vancouver. Both Bayview and Sir Matthew Begbie Elementary schools are expected to be ready to welcome students in the next few months. We’re excited that both were rebuilt using mass timber, at a much higher amount than has ever been used before in a B.C. school. Compared to milling logs for lumber, mass timber can deliver up to seven times the economic value for an indemand forest product that helps us meet our climate goals.
Over the last three years, we have also been working closely with school districts and industry experts to improve indoor air quality in classrooms across B.C. Together, the province and the federal government have invested $178.4 million, leading to more than 250 major ventilation upgrades and improvement projects as well as hundreds of smaller improvements in classrooms throughout the province. Keeping students, staff, and teachers safe in schools is our top priority and ventilation is an important layer of protection in schools to help protect against COVID19 and other communicable diseases.
To continue that momentum, we are committing an additional $3.1 billon for school capital projects over the next three years, supporting the development of new and expanded schools, seismic upgrades, and other initiatives such
our Services include:
New Building System Design Seismic Upgrades HVAC upgrades Building Renovations & Additions Energy Modelling Ventilation/Air Quality Upgrades Dust Collection System Upgrades DDC System Upgrades High Efficiency Boiler Plant Retrofits
DESIGNING TO ENHANCE OUR ENVIRONMENT
Over the past 25 Years RPE have proudly provided School Districts across BC with quality engineering designs and expertise, maintaining a strong focus on sustainable design by using energy and resource-reduction strategies.
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as our Bus Acquisition Program, which has helped school districts purchase 71 electric school buses in the last two years, and our Playground Equipment Program which has invested $30 million into pur
DESIGNING FOR HUMAN POTENTIAL
architecture planning interior design new construction renovations
www.kmbr.com chasing 231 new and accessible playgrounds across B.C.
We want all students to learn in the best possible environment and it is local facility staff like you who are on the ground helping us reach that goal.
For that, and for everything you do, I want to send a sincere thank you from myself and the Government of B.C. for your dedication to students and staff in our province.
I hope you all have a wonderful school year, and I look forward to seeing your work continue for the benefit of our students. Thank you, Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Education and Child Care n
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