UCLUELET, B.C. – The province of British Columbia Is investing $44.8 million to increase the seismic safety of Ucluelet Elementary school and partially replace Ucluelet Secondary school on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
The project will involve adding a neighbourhood learning centre with 25 new child care spaces to the secondary school for young Ucluelet families in need of child-care programming.
“Schools need to meet modern engineering standards in order to be safe in the event of a major earthquake, especially for students on the seismically active west coast of Vancouver Island. Our government is delivering results for families on the west coast, so they can have the comfort of knowing both Ucluelet schools will be safe if an earthquake were to hit,” B.C. minister of education Rob Fleming said.
“The community has been waiting for years for seismically safer schools, and I’m excited to see it happen for students and families. Both schools are vitally important to the west coast, and it’s great to know that they will be improved for the benefit of our students in Ucluelet and Tofino,” Mid Island-Pacific Rim MLA Scott Fraser said.
While Ucluelet Elementary undergoes a complete seismic upgrade, students will use available space at the secondary school. The upgrade is expected to be complete by September 2022.
The partial replacement of Ucluelet Secondary School will include a new classroom block with 250 student spaces as well as a new music room, library and administration block, along with seismic upgrades to the rest of the school including the gymnasium and trades block. Upgrades are expected to be complete by September 2021.
The 2019 provincial budget adds $250 million to its seismic mitigation program for a total of $791 million over three years.
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