Expanding Capacity for Our Growing Population

Finding and securing land in the Lower Mainland is an uphill battle. If we do not purchase future school sites now, real estate prices will climb entirely out of reach, or the land will be lost to private developers forever.

Actionable Steps: 

I will advocate fiercely for a proactive capital funding model that allows SD43 to lock down property before high-rises go up.  I will also champion the expansion of Joint Use and Capital Agreements with our municipal partners to co-fund these vital community spaces. 

Our active wish list for future site acquisitions must include:

• Fraser Mills Elementary: To service the massive new waterfront master-planned community.

• *Riverwalk Elementary - To support the Fremont area and the Northeast sector of Coquitlam and parts of North Port Coquitlam. 

• * Hazel Coy Elementary - To secure upper Burke Mountain parkland for a school before development outpaces available space.

• Port Moody Waterfront Elementary - Targeted for the massive Port Moody Waterfront transit-oriented development zones (closer to the Inlet Centre / Moody Centre SkyTrain areas). 

• Coquitlam City Centre Elementary - Is explicitly designed to support the explosive high-rise transit-oriented densification happening right in the urban core of Coquitlam City Centre (the downtown area surrounding Coquitlam Centre Mall, Town Centre Park, and the Lincoln and Lafarge Lake-Douglas SkyTrain stations). Another example of the threat of real estate costs climbing completely out of reach.

Proactive planning isn’t just about new builds it’s about optimizing our current schools to meet modern environmental goals and operational demands.