Victoria parent taking school district to court over land swap at Vic High

Construction is pictured at Victoria High School on April 13, 2023. (CTV News)

A Victoria High School parent is taking the Greater Victoria School District (SD61) to court in an effort to bring a long-awaited new playing field to students.

The legal challenge is over an alleged improper land transfer at Vic High, which halted decades of work to bring a new competitive athletic track to the school as the property undergoes major renovations.

The new sports field being built at the school includes a soccer field, beach volleyball courts and a walking track.

That falls short of the original plan, however, which included a rugby pitch and an eight-lane track.

Instead, the land has been leased to the Capital Regional District Housing Corporation for an affordable housing project.

The legal challenge was launched by Brit Forsyth, a parent and supporter of the Friends of Vic High group, which has been working for the past few years to get the district to reverse the land transfer and build the track.

The group says that having a smaller sports field puts Vic High students at a disadvantage.

"We know that sport is not only good for physical health, but mental health, especially in the days we live now with kids having all these pressures," said Stephen Dorsey, co-founder of Friends of Vic High.

"All that athletics is super important," he said. "It's where they also learn a lot of foundations about life, in terms of teamwork and commitment and passion. So it's super important."

The school district tells CTV News it has no comment on the matter.

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