COQUITLAM, B.C. — The B.C. government has announced a $67-million investment in schools in Coquitlam, creating another 820 spaces for students in the district.
More than $47 million will be spent for a new elementary school on Coquitlam's Burke Mountain residential area, where Premier John Horgan says development outpaced school growth.
Another $20 million is being invested to upgrade Dr. Charles Best Secondary, Panorama Heights Elementary and Westwood Elementary, providing almost 400 seats for students.
The Burke Mountain school and upgrades to the high school and Panorama Heights are expected to be complete by 2021, while the addition to Westwood school should be finished by next year.
Education Minister Rob Fleming says there are currently 110 portables in the district and just one elementary school has been built in over a decade.
Horgan says his government has committed $1.1 billion for new schools, seismic upgrades or land purchases since 2017.