BC: Province confirms the acquisition of two more school sites

Surrey families and future residents will benefit as the Province confirms the acquisition of two more school sites.

Securing the sites will help with future planning, so schools can be built more quickly.

"Our government is acting now to make sure land is in place to build new schools for students, as Surrey's population continues to grow," said Rob Fleming, Minister of Education.

"These are forward-thinking investments that will be vital to getting more students out of portables and into the positive, engaging and inspiring classrooms that they deserve."

The Government of B.C. is providing $25.5 million for the Surrey School District to purchase a school site in the Redwood Heights neighbourhood.

The school district has also secured a school site for a new elementary school in the South Newton neighbourhood.

These land purchases are in addition to the land that was purchased for an elementary school in Sunnyside Heights last year.

New schools will be needed soon in Redwood Heights, South Newton and Sunnyside to accommodate new and existing developments that are adding thousands of new families to the communities.

"Today's announcement of new school sites for Surrey lines up with the Smart Development initiative my council colleagues and I have put in place for our city," said Doug McCallum, mayor of Surrey.

"It's no secret that for far too long, developments in Surrey were being approved without the essential infrastructure, such as schools, needed to support a new community.

With Smart Development, the City of Surrey has purchased property for parkland use that will complement the new school and any future development in the Redwood Heights neighbourhood."

"The Surrey School District is the largest and fastest-growing district in the province. Our student population has been steadily increasing every year," said Laurie Larsen, chair, Surrey Board of Education.

"We currently have almost 74,000 students, and we're projecting an additional 1,000 students for the next school year.

This type of growth requires strong partnerships with all levels of government.