VSB says it needs almost $1 billion for seismic upgrades
Posted February 1, 2013 10:27 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The Vancouver School Board says it’s going to need just under $1 billion to keep your kids safe in the event of an earthquake.
There’s an urgent call for the provincial government to make seismic upgrading a top priority.
VSB Chair Patti Bacchus admits a lot has been done and she’s pleased more will get underway this year, but there’s still a lot of work ahead.
“[More than] 40 schools need seismic upgrading and need funding, still. We estimate we’ll need probably another $850 million in the next five to seven years, in terms of funding commitments,” she tells us.
We asked Bacchus if she thinks that’s realistic.
“I think the costs of not doing it are unacceptable. We know we have a dangerous situation,” she says, adding there are many schools at risk of total structural failure.
“That’s unacceptable. We cannot have children in buildings that have the potential to cause them severe injury or, possibly, death. We have to do this.”
