FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

VICTORIA, B.C.: B.C. students headed back to school, but families across the province are still waiting for the NDP government to deliver the classrooms and school buildings they need.

Surrey alone still has more than 300 portables, while communities across B.C. are waiting years for promised school replacements.

Take Campbell River: The NDP promised to replace Cedar Elementary in 2024 — and construction still hasn’t started. Its food program runs out of a converted gym change room, and its only accessible bathroom is tucked into a storage closet with a plastic accordion door. Carihi Secondary had a fire almost two years ago, but construction still hasn’t started on the main educational wing.

In Kitimat, a wing of Mount Elizabeth Secondary was condemned two years ago after being found structurally unsafe. Other parts of the school required structural braces, yet the government still has not provided a clear timeline for a permanent solution. 

And despite these longstanding needs, Budget 2026 announced no new major school construction projects.

MLA Misty Van Popta, Deputy Whip and Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Housing,  said the NDP needs to stop recycling past announcements while ignoring communities still waiting for basic school infrastructure.

“Back to school should mean kids are walking into safe, modern schools with enough room for them — not portables, condemned wings and buildings that have been waiting years for replacement,” said Van Popta. “The NDP has had years to get these projects built, yet too many students are entering another school year with inadequate school infrastructure.”

Hon. Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Leader of the Conservative Party of B.C.,  said the NDP needs to start treating school infrastructure as a basic responsibility of government: 

“The NDP has had years to plan for growth and deal with aging infrastructure. Instead, too many communities are being told to wait,” said Findlay. “B.C. needs a government that thinks beyond the next announcement and builds for the B.C. families who are counting on us.”

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