VICTORIA – More than $37 million is being invested into two island schools, according to an announcement made by the B.C. Ministry of Education Friday.
The $37.6-million in funding is being divided between a brand new school on Hornby Island and seismic upgrades for a middle school in the Comox Valley.
In total, $10.4 million will go towards building a new 95-seat Hornby Island Community school to replace the island's former school, which burnt down in a fire in August 2018.
The remaining $27.2 million will go towards seismic upgrades for Lake Trail Middle school in the Comox Valley and the creation of a new child-care space on the school grounds.
The province says that seismic upgrades will replace the majority of the school, save for the property's gym, and that $1.5 million of the budget will go towards creating the child-care centre for the surrounding area.
"People in our community showed how resilient they can be when the former Hornby Island Community school burned down," said Scott Fraser, MLA for Mid Island-Pacific Rim, in a news release Friday.
"Our government took immediate action to provide short-term classrooms for Hornby students after the fire, and the new school will give them the long-term learning environment they deserve."
The Ministry of Education says that the new child-care centre at Lake Trail Middle school will benefit the area, and help children transition from day care to school classes.
"Building child care spaces on school grounds helps children have a smooth transition from child care to the classroom," said Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care.
"It also brings key services closer to home for local families and makes mornings easier for parents who can drop off children of different ages at one location."
Construction has already begun on both projects, with the buildings expected to welcome students by September 2022.
