Thursday September 4, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Last week Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma was in Langford to be part of the opening of a new elementary school that will serve families in the fast-growing areas of Langford and Colwood.
Today Premier David Eby in Surrey highlighted more school seats, including a doubling of the expansion commitment to the Clayton Heights Secondary School (including enhanced science and technology spaces, a modern gym, a new dance studio and an Indigenous learning space) in Surrey. He noted a factual baseline that the previous government (before 2017) did not build schools to keep up with population demand.
Eby linked federal housing challenges (overloaded by uncontrolled population growth under previous immigration policies) to that of schools capacity challenges.
Collaboration with municipalities and school districts:
Last week in Langford, Ma was part of the official opening of the new SĆIȺNEW̱ SṮEȽIṮḴEȽ Elementary school with 480 seats. Ma said that will help address enrolment growth so that as the west shore continues to grow that students are supported with “modern and inspiring spaces”.
Ma pointed out that the province works with municipalities and school districts on the development of new schools.
Impact of schools within Infrastructure:
In answering a media question from Island Social Trends regarding the success of getting more schools open since there has been a Ministry of Infrastructure, Minister Ma led with saying that the new Infrastructure ministry was created in November 2024 to provide a focus on vertical infrastructure.
The Ministry of Infrastructure was established by Premier David Eby in taking a new direction for consolidating the organization of infrastructure development, to get more done, and faster.
“We only do provincial buildings from which provincial services are delivered,” said Ma, noting the distinction from the former Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure that also handled roads and horizontal infrastructure. (There is now a new Ministry of Transportation and Transit, under Minister Mike Farnworth.)
“It has been quite an interesting time for us, particularly in the context of the trade war with the United States. It has changed the landscape economically, it has changed the landscape fiscally. The tariffs have certainly had an impact on construction projects – not just public construction projects but construction projects across the country,” said Ma at the podium in Langford’s newest school today.
Public engagement on Infrastructure Projects Act:
“As we’re navigating this space it has been incredibly helpful for government to have a ministry that is focused on this work. We also brought in new legislation — the Infrastructure Projects Act — earlier this spring that will move projects more quickly into ground-breaking. It provides us with tools to work more closely with local governments and other partners on local permitting and certification issues,” said MA.
She added that the province is currently doing public engagement on how the implementation of that Infrastructure Projects Act. She encourages people to take part in that public engagement, which is open to March 2026. The engagement invites a wide range of public engagement participants: First Nations, members of the public, and interest-holders such as local governments, business organizations, environmental groups, and the construction sector.
“We are building on the work that has been done for many years already,” said Ma. “Part of the success is demonstrated in the ability to open 3,000 new student spaces across the province just this fall,” said Ma. She highlighted fast progress in Surrey, with 700 new seats announced yesterday, and groundbreaking og of 2,300 additional seats in Surrey alone, for a total of 4,700 new students seats under construction actively in Surrey.
“It’s the most significant number of seats that we’ve been able to update in that community. And it’s a similar story right across the province.”
“We’re going to continue to work with our partners to deliver more quickly by utilizing some of the more innovative approaches that we’ve already started to trial like prefabricated modular additions,” she said.
3,000 more seats this fall:
Ma also emphasized how 3,000 new student seats are opening across the province this September. That includes:
“What children need are strong schools,” said Ma.”We’ve been working hard to keep up with the growth that we’ve been seeing in this community and right across the province, to build new classrooms so that students have the resources that they need to succeed,” she said in her opening remarks at the podium in the third floor commons area at SĆIȺNEW̱ SṮEȽIṮḴEȽ Elementary school.
- in Abbotsford, on Traditional Elementary and Margaret Stenerson Elementary are receiving new additions, creating a total of 360 new seats;
- in Delta, Ladner Elementary is adding 150 new seats;
- in West Kelowna, Chief Tomat Elementary is adding 165 new seats; and
- in Richmond, R.C. Talmey Elementary is adding 150 new seats.
- In Trail, the new Glenmerry Elementary is a full replacement school built at expanded capacity, adding 165 new student seats and increasing total capacity from 270 to 435 seats (Kootenay-Columbia School District)
- Surrey is adding 700 new seats (celebrated yesterday in Surrey)
- further expansions planned in Langley to keep up with growing communities.
“Creating the right learning environment is essential to student success,” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Education and Child Care. “I’m thrilled to see these investments making a real difference for students throughout the province, and I look forward to welcoming students back to classes for another great school year.”
Since 2017, the Province has committed more than $6 billion to school capital projects, creating nearly 43,000 new student spaces and more than 39,000 seismically safe seats in B.C. schools. As the province grows, B.C. is working with both school districts and municipalities to provide all students with safe, modern and inspiring places to learn.
===== RELATED:
- Infrastructure & Education ministers attend opening of new SD62 elementary school in Langford (August 27, 2025)
- NEWS SECTIONS: SD62 WEST SHORE | EDUCATION K-12 | LANGFORD | INFRASTRUCTURE | 43rd BC PARLIAMENT