Province finally announces long-promised Olympic Village school in Vancouver

Vancouver’s Olympic Village neighbourhood will finally be getting a long-promised new school.

Education Minister Rachna Singh announced the new elementary school on Friday, outlining a four-storey facility with a capacity of 630 students.

The project will get $150 million from the province’s 2024 capital budget, with a completion target of 2029.

1:14 Two new school projects announced in Township of Langley

The Education Ministry also announced another $15 million to expand the capacity of the currently-under-construction Henry Hudson Elementary to add space for an additional 145 students.

That project, due to be completed next year, will get an additional six classrooms for a total capacity of 535 students.

Area residents have been pressing for a new school serving the Olympic Village neighbourhood for the better part of 15 years. The 2007 development plan for the community anticipated a new school for the neighbourhood, and a piece of land for the project has been sitting idle for years.

The BC NDP promised it would build the school in its 2020 election campaign.

The province says it is funding $3.8 billion over the next three years for school capital projects, including expanded schools, seismic upgrades and land purchases for new schools.