Burnaby to get new elementary school in Brentwood area

Planning is underway for a new elementary school in one of Burnaby’s fast-growing neighbourhoods.

B.C. Education and Child Care Minister Rachna Singh says the facility will be located in Brentwood Town Centre-East.

“With a record-number of people moving to B.C. in the last two and a half years, we know that investing in more quality student spaces is essential to keep up with growing enrollment,” she said Wednesday.

Singh says funding as part of Budget 2024 will go toward the Burnaby School District so it can begin planning the project.

The province says this is the largest school-capital budget in B.C.’s history.

“This means that the school district can start doing the work to move this project forward,” Singh said. “We know that the process does take time, but that’s why we continue to work with the school districts on solutions to meet the needs that communities, like Burnaby, are facing.”

In addition to the new school, the province is also providing the Burnaby School District with funding to seismically upgrade and expand other schools. Examples include the replacement of Stride Avenue Community School, the expansion of Brentwood Park Elementary, and an addition at Kitchener Elementary School.

The province will determine final funding once it reviews the finalized business case for the Brentwood school.

The B.C. government notes that, “depending on the scale of a project, a finalized business case takes eight months on average.”