Sooke School District asks province to replace 'unsafe' tiny school in Port Renfrew
Everybody knows your name at Port Renfrew Elementary School.
A whopping 18 students are enrolled there, making it one of the least-populated schools on Vancouver Island.
“It’s small and you can know everyone in it,” said Danaya Joe, a Grade 3 student at the school on the southwest coast.
“You can make more friends,” said Grade 4 student Breanna Jones.
Despite the tiny class size, energy emanates through the hallways, where students can be heard laughing and working together to answer teachers’ questions.
“It’s amazing. I love this community and this school,” principal Cory Meausette told CTV News.
“There’s some real power with those smaller numbers.”
Less powerful, is the foundation of the school, which was built in 1970.
“I’m assuming that with a massive seismic event, it’s not going to stand at all, so it needs a major upgrade,” said Tracy Charlie, a councillor at the neighbouring Pacheedaht First Nation.
'ONE OF THE MOST SEISMICALLY UNSAFE SCHOOLS'
The Sooke School District has asked the province to fund a $10-million replacement. It expects to have an answer by mid-March.
“I remain cautiously optimistic that they see the need and the desire,” SD62 board of education chair Ravi Parmar said.
“It is one of the most seismically unsafe schools in the province.”
Pacheedaht Chief Jeff Jones said the new school would sit near the town’s gas station, which is outside of the tsunami zone.
“If an earthquake ever hits Pacheedaht, our community would definitely go straight down because we’re living on sand,” Jones said.
He’s eager to replace the kindergarten-to-Grade 5 school, while maintaining the sense of community within it.
“It’s family,” he said.
“As a small community, you seem to connect a little closer than living in a place like Victoria or Vancouver… so there’s that much more room to create relationships.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.