B.C.'s education minister, local MLAs and municipal officials were in Burnaby this week for the official opening of the new $116.6-million Burnaby North Secondary School and to celebrate the beginning of construction on a new, seismically safe Stride Avenue Community School.
Students and staff migrated into the new Burnaby North at 751 Hammarskjold Dr. in the second week of January.
A daycare and adult education program moved into the building before the New Year.
The school also boasts a school district conference centre and neighbourhood learning centre.
With space for 1,800, Burnaby North is one of the biggest schools in the province.
"The newly opened Burnaby North Secondary provides students with a safe, modern learning environment so they can learn and thrive for many years to come," Minister of Education and Child Care Rachna Singh said in a news release Friday.
Construction has also started on the new Stride Avenue Community School at 7014 Stride Ave. and is expected to be completed in fall 2025.
That $49.4-million project will include 54 new child-care spaces for kids aged 30 months to school age.
"We are proud that both projects also recognize that schools are the heart of our communities," Burnaby school board chair Bill Brassington said in the release. "Each building was planned to include space, such as child care, to help the whole community thrive. We're grateful for our partnerships with the ministry and the city that help us to support children and youth."
Approximately $252.1 million has been invested in the Burnaby school district since September 2017 to expand, seismically upgrade or replace seven schools, including the completed Armstrong Elementary, Parkcrest Elementary and École Seaforth Elementary.
"More people are choosing to call B.C. home, and that's why our government is building, expanding and upgrading schools," Singh said.
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