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B.C. taps ‘fix-it fund’ to upgrade capital region schools

A heat pump for Prospect Elementary, a new roof at Edward Milne and fire sprinklers and alarms at Vic West Elementary were among $45 million worth of B.C. school upgrades announced on Thursday.
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Edward Milne Community School in the Sooke school district is to receive $464,380 for the first phase of a roof replacement.

A heat pump for Prospect Elementary, a new roof at Edward Milne and fire sprinklers and alarms at Vic West Elementary were among $45 million worth of B.C. school upgrades announced on Thursday.

Facing intense criticism in the legislature over school closings and overcrowding, B.C. Education Minister Mike Bernier dipped into a “fix-it fund” to trumpet repairs at 124 schools across the province.

The money comes from the ministry’s $1.7-billion budget for new schools, seismic upgrades and other capital projects.

“It’s about making sure that the schools that we do have also continue to receive investment to make sure that they’re safe areas for our students,” Bernier said.

But Rob Fleming, the NDP’s spokesman on education issues, said the announcement pales in comparison to the needs of school districts.

“I think school leaders around the province, parents and communities that are dealing with schools being ripped out of their neighbourhood will find nothing in this,” he said.

Fleming said he had been expecting Bernier to announce money for overcrowded schools in Surrey or to help Osoyoos keep its only high school open.

“It’s a big missed opportunity for him to say something new and something substantive,” he said.

The approved projects in the capital region include:

• $355,000 for automatic fire sprinklers and a fire-alarm upgrade at Victoria West Elementary in the Greater Victoria school district.

• $464,380 for the first phase of a roof replacement at Edward Milne Community School in the Sooke school district.

• $325,000 to replace outdate heating equipment with a new heat pump at Prospect Elementary in the Saanich school district.

The fund also includes $6.1 million announced Monday to replace the leaky roof at Bayside Middle School in Saanich. The school district will contribute $1 million to the project.

“When you look at investing money in schools, it’s all about making sure that [it] helps with the longevity,” Bernier said. “It’s no different than your house. If your roof starts to leak, you’re not going to let it leak. You want to repair that and make sure it makes the house last longer. That’s why we make investments like this in our schools around the province.”

But Fleming said the government has neglected schools for years. He noted, for example, that Bayside Middle School has been leaking for so long that the cost of replacing the roof jumped from $2.6 million to $7.1 million due to the extent of the damage.

“The state of disrepair in B.C. schools is shocking,” Fleming said. “It’s not going to be fixed by a small amount of money that the minister has re-announced here today. It’s not going to go very far when you divide that amount of money by 60 school districts or 1,500 school buildings across the province.”

lkines@timescolonist.com