Lack of timeline for rebuild of burned-down B.C. school worries parents

A year and a half after a Port Coquitlam school burned down, the B.C. government has committed to rebuilding it.

It’s an eerie sight still – a playground with no school.

A gravel outline all that’s left of what was once Hazel Trembath Elementary School in Port Coquitlam, which was destroyed by a suspicious fire in 2023.

But now there is a path forward, with the province confirming a rebuild will happen.

“It’s news that we’ve been waiting for for 16 months,” Kim O’Neill, the parent of a Grade 3 student told CTV News on Thursday. “It’s news that we were promised. So I’m feeling really good about it.”

While the province failed to explicitly mention the rebuild in its 2025 budget, the infrastructure minister said it will happen.

“We’re incredibly grateful to be able to confirm that Hazel Trembath will be funded,” Bowinn Ma said.

“We understand the impact that the fire has had on the community. I want to acknowledge that when a school burns down in such a traumatic way, it impacts not only the students and teachers, but also the families,” Ma added.

Read more: ‘We haven’t heard anything’: Community demands answers after province goes quiet on rebuild of Port Coquitlam school

The fact it’s taken so long to get a clear answer means the way this has been handled by the NDP government isn’t sitting well with some who are still frustrated by how much advocacy they say was required to get to this point.

“I want people to know that the fight’s not over,” O’Neill said. “Just because they’ve said that there’s a rebuild in the future, it doesn’t mean anything until we see boots on the ground and a building being built.”

That sentiment is shared by Port Coquitlam’s mayor.

“The fact that our community had to fight like hell on something that should have been really straightforward is disappointing, but I think there’s probably a lesson in there for our kids,” Brad West said. “Sometimes you do have to step up and you do have to fight for what’s right.”

Ma told CTV she plans to discuss next steps with the school board soon.

But for the parents who’ve been advocating for this rebuild since the fire, the lack of an immediate timeline remains a source of concern.

Read more: ‘They did everything they could’: Students thank firefighters on anniversary of Port Coquitlam, B.C., school fire