The growing community of Nanaimo will soon have more student spaces at Wellington Secondary school as part of the government's plan to expand schools quicker.
"As B.C.'s population continues to grow, our government is finding the best solutions to get more students into classrooms as quickly as possible," said Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care. "We'll continue investing in the schools and services that families and students in Nanaimo need."
Wellington Secondary school will get a six-classroom prefabricated addition, which will add 150 new seats to the school. The use of prefabricated construction means students will soon be learning in modern classrooms that look just like regular schools. With sustainable and energy-efficient designs, the addition also aligns with the Province's CleanBC targets and meets B.C.'s enhanced energy requirements. The new classrooms are expected to be ready for students by winter 2026.
"We've been working hard since 2017 to build education back up in Nanaimo, getting students out of portables and making classrooms seismically safe," said Sheila Malcolmson, MLA for Nanaimo. "Now, we're building more state-of-the-art classrooms at Wellington Secondary school to help students learn and thrive."
Over the past seven years, the provincial government has provided more than $37 million to create 395 new student seats and 590 seismically safe seats in the Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District. This includes the expansions of Dover Bay Secondary and École Hammond Bay Elementary, and seismic upgrades at Cilaire and Pleasant Valley elementary schools.
"Nanaimo-Ladysmith Public Schools is grateful for the Province's continued support for student learning in our district," said Greg Keller, board chair, Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District. "These new classrooms directly support our district goal of increasing the number of students who feel welcome, safe and have a sense of belonging in their school, in an environmentally sustainable way."
Since September 2017, the B.C. government has approved more than $5 billion for new and improved schools, and land purchases for schools in the province. This has resulted in approximately 36,000 new student spaces and more than 38,000 seismically safe seats at B.C. schools.
Learn More:
- To learn more about the Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District, visit: https://www.sd68.bc.ca/
- For more information about major public school capital projects underway, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/administration/capital/major-capital-projects
