B.C. approves $39M plan to rebuild elementary school destroyed by fire

There is finally some good news for parents who’ve been trying to get their Port Coquitlam elementary school rebuilt.

The British Columbia government has approved a plan to rebuild a Port Coquitlam elementary school that was destroyed in a suspicious fire two years ago.

The province announced Friday that it will construct a modern, 240-seat Hazel Trembath Elementary School after the structure burned to the ground on Oct. 14, 2023.

“We know that the loss of Hazel Trembath Elementary has deeply impacted parents, students, teachers and staff,” said Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma, in a statement.

“I’m grateful to the school district for working with us on an innovative, first-in-B.C. approach that will expedite construction and speed up the delivery of this new school for families.”

The announcement comes the same day parents had planned a rally to keep up the pressure on the province to rebuild.

Instead, the rally turned into a celebration.

“Our hard work and advocacy has paid off,” said parent Alaina Milcevic to those attending the event.

She told CTV News that Friday’s announcement was an important milestone.

“Obviously, my first initial response was joy, happiness and relief,” Milcevic said.

But while excited for a new school, parents do have some reservations, including, they say, that the plan doesn’t provide room for growth.

“So the 240-seat elementary school to us feels a little short-sighted,” Milcevic added.

And some parents wonder why the build won’t begin until next summer.

“It is a little bittersweet,” explained Shawna Comey who is both a parent and PAC member.

“I wish the news came out a little sooner. Sadly, my daughter, who is in Grade 4 right now, will never make it into the new Hazel Trembath. So I’m very excited that it’s being rebuilt, but I’m sad my kids will never be back in Hazel.”

The school site has been vacant since the devastating fire, prompting criticism of the NDP government from the city’s mayor and the province’s official Opposition.

“Here we are, two years later, and we’ve got no shovels in the ground,” Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West told CTV News earlier this week.

“This should not require so much effort and advocacy from the community to just have the government do what it said it was going to do” and rebuild the school, West added.

On Wednesday, the B.C. Conservative shadow minister for infrastructure echoed the mayor’s call for action on the government’s commitment to rebuilding the school.

“Parents and children have waited long enough,” Misty Van Popta, the MLA for Langley–Walnut Grove, said in a statement. “Communities shouldn’t have to beg the government to do what it already promised.”

The new school is expected to include eight elementary classrooms and two kindergarten classrooms constructed from prefabricated materials, as well as a gymnasium.

The project will also feature a neighbourhood learning centre with future child-care spaces and charging stations for electric vehicles, the province said.

“Students in Port Coquitlam deserve to go to school close to home, and parents and families deserve the convenience that this brings,” Mike Farnworth, the NDP MLA for Port Coquitlam, said in a statement.

“After the loss of Hazel Trembath Elementary in our community, we know the rebuild can’t come quickly enough for families, and our government is working urgently to deliver a new school that will welcome students back as soon as possible.”

The cost to rebuild the school on the original site at 1278 Confederation Dr. is expected to reach approximately $39 million. Construction is slated to begin in July 2026 with occupancy expected in December 2027, the province said.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Isabella Zavarise