Monday November 27, 2023 | VICTORIA, BC [Updated November 28, 2023]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The new Cedar Hill Middle School in Victoria will be seismically safe, with a student capacity of 575, an Indigenous welcome centre and green components for a 90% GHG reduction. The new school is expected to open during the fall of 2025.
Cedar Middle School is in the Greater Victoria School District (SD61).
Minister of Education and Child Care Rachna Singh and local MLA Rob Fleming (Victoria-Swan Lake) were at the school today to announce work on the brand new Cedar Hill Middle school.
“Schools have been part of the Cedar Hill neighbourhood for decades,” said Singh. Safe, modern schools that are close to home is important to parents, she said. She says the government has made a commitment to students by investing in schools, including the work it takes with municipalities and school districts.
Fleming was the Minister of Education under former Premier John Horgan, and has a long background on how the ministry has evolved in its seismic work over the years. Fleming has been Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure for a few years now (Education was under Minister Jennifer Whiteside until the Eby cabinet shuffle in December 2022).
Fleming noted that Greater Victoria is on an earthquake fault line. He said there are “nearly 3,000 seismically safe seats in the district”, calling the upcoming new Cedar Hill Middle School the “next 575 safe seats in the event of a major earthquake”. The current school is 92 years old “and things were built a bit differently back then”. He pointed out that the school would be used as a centralized location in the community in the event of an earthquake “which we hope will never happen, but we have to be prepared for”.
Nicole Duncan, SD61 board chair, said Cedar Hill is currently a 2-storey building constructed in 1931. The new school will set a new standard of sustainability for learning environments. The school will include a neighbourhood learning centre (NLC); NLC’s are used for school district revenue.
Major investment:
The new school price tag is $53.5 million: the Province has provided $49.9 million while the Greater Victoria School District (SD61) is contributing $3.6 million.
As school districts don’t levy their own taxes, that is effectively all BC taxpayer dollars — in this case $921,734 per student. This is the level of financial investment that our province makes in educating our children and youth.
Political timing:
This was a good photo-op for Minister Singh who is presently under siege by a recall petition in her home riding of Surrey-Green Timbers.
The petition was brought forward to remove the education minister because of no response from the ministry on the content and scope of SOGI curriculum in BC schools.
Rachna Singh said today that she is “sad to hear the misinformation and disinformation out there” about SOGI. She says she is “committed to provide safe and inclusive schools”, adding: “When students get that safe environment it means their learning outcomes are much better. Safe modern spaces is what I’m committed to and focussed on.”
Singh said: “My focus is on the things that matter”, then shifted to riding-local points: “…to provide safe inclusive spaces and things that matter to the communities such as more health care facilities, a second Surrey hospital, and creating more school spaces”.
The BC NDP just held their party convention earlier this month, rallying the troops toward the next provincial election which is scheduled for October 2024.
New Cedar Hill Middle school breaks ground
Government news release
Students and staff of Cedar Hill Middle school will soon have new, seismically safer learning spaces, as work has begun to build a replacement school.
“Our government is building, expanding and upgrading schools throughout B.C.,” said Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care. “We are acting now to ensure all B.C. students have the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive in our Province’s world-class education system. I can’t wait to see the new, upgraded Cedar Hill Middle school.”
The new Cedar Hill Middle school will have room for 575 students and will have features such as an Indigenous welcome centre. The school will be built to LEED equivalents and will be the greenest building in the school district, providing a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to a traditionally built school.
The Province provided $49.9 million with the Greater Victoria School District contributing $3.6 million. The new school is expected to open during the fall of 2025.
“It’s important that our students are learning in safe and engaging spaces,” said Rob Fleming, MLA for Victoria-Swan Lake. “Schools are vital hubs in our community, and our government is committed to providing the excellent learning environments our young people need.”
Over the past six years, the Province has completed seismic upgrades at Campus View Elementary and Braefoot Elementary, and is completing a seismic upgrade and expansion at Victoria High, all within the Greater Victoria School District. With $160 million in funding, these school upgrades, when combined with Cedar Hill Middle school, will support 2,385 seismically safer seats for students.
“We are excited to see work begin on the seismic replacement of Cedar Hill Middle school, which will set a new standard for sustainability in our school district,” said Nicole Duncan, chair, Greater Victoria School Board. “All students deserve a seismically safe, accessible and inclusive learning environment, which will inspire and provide amenities that support the needs of our growing community.”
Since September 2017, the Government of B.C. has approved the construction of 25,000 new student spaces and 35,000 seismically safer seats. The Province has provided $4 billion for new and improved schools, as well as land purchases for upcoming schools throughout B.C.
Budget 2023 includes $3.4 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.
