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
'Oh my God, you're my brother': Man in his 70s discovers 6 unknown siblings
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
No refund for travellers who cancelled flight already scrapped by airline: regulator
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
Just how bad are ultraprocessed foods? Here are 5 things to know
Many foods fall under the category of ultraprocessed foods, depending on their exact ingredients. This type of food has been studied a lot lately, and the results aren’t great.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Rates of cancer declining in Canada, but more work needed to save lives: projections
A new study projecting declining rates of cancer cases and deaths in Canada demonstrates the success of prevention and early detection programs, but also highlights areas where more work is needed to save and prolong lives, researchers say.
Canucks hold off Oilers for 4-3 win in Game 3
Brock Boeser had two goals and an assist, and the Vancouver Canucks hung on for a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.