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Letter: Bravo, SD43, for Minnekhada plan

The Editor, Re. “SD43: New school for Minnekhada district’s next major capital expense” (The Tri-City News, June 10).
minnekhada

The Editor,

Re. “SD43: New school for Minnekhada district’s next major capital expense” (The Tri-City News, June 10).

Thank you to School District 43 for moving forward on the plan to seismically replace Minnekhada middle school in Port Coquitlam. SD43 is taking this important step despite the fact that there has still been no funding announcement from the Ministry of Education.

Students, parents and staff have been waiting over a year since the district submitted its final required reports to the government. The government needs to pick up the pace. The province continues to stall on upgrading schools and extending the timeline for making them safe.

Minnekhada is classified as a High 1 (H1) school, according to the province’s Seismic Mitigation Program. An H1 classification is the highest risk rating used for B.C. schools. The definition of an H1 rating is: “Most vulnerable structure; at highest risk of widespread damage or structural failure; not reparable after event.”

Is it OK that we are sending our children to schools that are unsafe? This government needs to make seismic safety a priority for children in British Columbia.

In 2005, then premier Gordon Campbell and his BC Liberal government promised to upgrade schools throughout the province by 2020. We have made slow progress since 2005. At the current rate, we will not even meet the 2020 promise with our H1 schools, never mind our H2 and H3 schools. Yes, the government can proclaim it has replaced and upgraded many schools but the fact remains that many schools are still not safe.

I walk to school every morning with my six- and eight-year-old children. Every morning, I drop them off and wish them a good day. As I turn to leave, I silently hope today is not the day for an earthquake.

My children go to Irvine elementary school, which is another H1 school in SD43. The school district is currently in the final phase of its reports to the government.

We don’t have time to wait years for the government to approve funding knowing that our children are in danger. After all, what is more precious than our children?

Tara Tait, Port Coquitlam