“We promised the two schools,” he said. “We want to deliver on that. A quote from October 24th 2020, as soon to be MLA Fin Donnelly spoke with Stefan Labbè of the Tri City news. Nearly two and a half years later and we still do not have Provincial funding for the Burke Mountain middle and high schools. With a booming population, that has seen Burke Mountains only current operating school: Smiling Creek Elementary, jump 100 students a year since opening in 2018. It is now over original capacity with four portables being installed last summer, (taking up precious play space on the black top). To be fair no one saw the global pandemic coming and it was a factor in the delay opening Burke Mountain’s second Elementary school: Coast Salish. Originally slated for opening September 2021 this school is now scheduled for opening in the fall of 2022. If Coast Salish opened as originally planned the four portables would not be in place at Smiling Creek.
The Burke Mountain schools parent group, (BMSPG) have been working behind the scenes to keep the pressure on and trying to keep this issue top of mind for the powers that be.
• From getting hundreds of signatures in a good old fashion in person signature drive.
• Staying connected with the school board and MLA’s, email/letter campaigns (this is the second year in a row this has been implemented).
• A second online petition.
• A car rally, where over 50 vehicles drove a circuit around SD43 which included MLA offices, SD43’s office, Smiling Creek and Leigh Elementary last March to draw attention to the
community’s concerns.
Is this the last hurdle?
With the March 1st 2022 unanimous vote from the school board, green lighting the $25M ask from the Provincial Government. Is this the last hurdle before a funding announcement in late April/May? With the opening line in this blog highlighting the promise MLA Donnelly and the NDP Government mad in the lead up to the 2020 election, it is likely this pre-election promise was a large part in getting MLA Donnelly a seat in the legislature. Only time will tell if the further delays in funding will affect future reelection. From my vantage point MLA Donnelly and his team at every turn have been up front, transparent and a willing partner to assist us in moving this project forward.
• From using his legislature speech right before last years budget announcement, that highlighted the need for these schools on Burke.
• Phone call and virtual meetings with the BMSPG.
• Suggesting and chairing a Town Hall with our community.
• Connecting with the Ministry of Education via emails, letters and speaking in person.
We are one of 60 school districts in BC, everyone advocating for new schools probably has a pretty good case for getting these funds.
SD43 and the board of education.
On the other side of table is SD43 and the board of education, from what I have witnessed this is a dedicated group of individuals working as hard as they can to get these schools built. They run a fiscally responsible operation that can think outside the box and move projects along on expedited timelines. Even when faced with bureaucratic red tape and changing processes. They have supported BMSPG and our community with regular updates via a dedicated Burke Mountain schools webpage, at meetings, in emails and on the phone. When we met with SD43’s Secretary-Treasurer/CFO Mohammed Azim for an update, in advance of the March 1st additional funding vote. To our surprise the entire board joined the meeting. This is just another example of the priority level this school has in the eyes of SD43 and the board.
The time to fund this school is now!! Burke Mountain is long overdue for its own community middle and high school. Schools are at the heart of every community and far too many children have lost this opportunity. We will come to know soon if we can have our children walk to school in the near future or if this government will keep dragging their feet. Leaving a community divided depending on what side of Coast Meridian Road you live on.
The below letter was received after this project was not funded as part of the 2021 budget.
Burke Mountain Middle/Secondary School Update
Burke Mountain Schools Dedicated Webpage
Oct 2020 – Promise Made
Mar 2021 – Article Pushing for Funding Last Year (which did not happen)
Aug 2021 – Concept Plan Announcement
Feb 2022 – Final Hurdle?