Replacement secured for 'unsafe' Port Renfrew school with tiny population
A remote community on the west coast of Vancouver Island has secured a replacement for its seismically unsafe elementary school.
The Sooke School District says the provincial government has agreed to set aside money to replace Port Renfrew Elementary.
Before the province hands over the cash, the district must present a business case for the project. It’s projected to cost $10 million.
“It is one of the most seismically unsafe schools in the province,” SD62 board of education chair Ravi Parmar told CTV News last month.
The school was built in 1970. With 18 students enrolled there this year, it’s one of the least-populated schools on Vancouver Island.
“I’m assuming that with a massive seismic event, it’s not going to stand at all, so it needs a major upgrade,” Tracy Charlie, a councillor at the neighbouring Pacheedaht First Nation, said in a recent interview.
CAMPUS DREAM
If all goes to plan, the new school will be one of the first buildings people see when they drive north into Port Renfrew.
The community does not have a middle nor high school, so older students spend hours commuting to Sooke every day.
Late last month, Pacheedaht First Nation asked Infrastructure Canada for $24 million to build a school for grades 6 to 12. If approved, the hope is to build the high school next to the new elementary school.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
McGill requests 'police assistance' over pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University says it has 'requested police assistance' about the pro-Palestinian encampment on its lower field.
Freeland tables motion previewing omnibus budget bill
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass the sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget.
Judge holds Trump in contempt, fines him US$9,000 and raises threat of jail in hush money trial
Donald Trump was held in contempt of court Tuesday and fined US$9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order that barred him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and some others connected to his New York hush money case. If he does it again, the judge warned, he could be jailed.
Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
Court upholds Milwaukee police officer's firing for posting racist memes after Sterling Brown arrest
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a former Milwaukee police officer was properly fired for posting racist memes related to the arrest of an NBA player that triggered a public outcry.
New cancer treatment approved, but not everyone thinks it's what's best for patients
A new cancer treatment recently approved in Canada promises to cut treatment time down to just minutes, but experts have differing opinions on whether it's what's best for patients.
T. rex is at the centre of a debate over dinosaur intelligence
Surmising even the physical appearance of a dinosaur - or any extinct animal - based on its fossils is a tricky proposition, with so many uncertainties involved. Assessing a dinosaur's intelligence, considering the innumerable factors contributing to that trait, is exponentially more difficult.
Province boots mayor and council in small northern Ont. town out of office
An ongoing municipal strike, court battles and revolt by half of council has prompted the province to oust the mayor and council in Black River-Matheson.