Vancouver’s Olympic Village neighborhood will finally receive a long-awaited new school.
Education Minister Rachna Singh revealed the new elementary school on Friday, describing a four-level building that can accommodate 630 students.
The project will receive $150 million from the province’s 2024 capital budget, and is expected to be finished by 2029.
The Education Ministry also allocated an additional $15 million to expand the capacity of the currently-under-construction Henry Hudson Elementary to make room for another 145 students.
That project, scheduled to be finished next year, will gain six more classrooms, bringing the total capacity to 535 students.
Local residents have been urging for a new school to serve the Olympic Village neighborhood for nearly 15 years. The 2007 development plan for the community anticipated a new school for the area, and a plot of land for the project has remained unused for years.
The BC NDP pledged to construct the school during its 2020 election campaign.
The province is allocating $3.8 billion over the next three years for school capital projects, which include expanded schools, seismic improvements, and land acquisitions for new schools.
