BC approves $65M elementary school, far above past costs

Last week, the BC government announced plans to build a public elementary school in New Westminster. The total cost of the project is projected to be $65 million.

The new downtown elementary school will include:

• Four storeys with underground parking;

• Four kindergarten classrooms;

• 21 elementary classrooms with a capacity of 605 seats;

• Green building design that cuts greenhouse-gas emissions by 93 percent; and

• Electric-vehicle parking stalls.

Premier David Eby seemed pleased with the announcement. “A safer, modern school gives parents peace of mind and it gives children a place to learn and have fun…[t]his state-of-the-art school will provide generations of children and their families an open door to a lifetime of learning.”

Financial concerns mount

While the project aims to help alleviate the growing student population in the province, there are questions regarding its costs. A total price tag of $65 million with a capacity of 605 students translates to a cost of $107,438 per student. This six-figure cost per student has been consistent with what the BC government has done recently under the BC NDP. Under the BC Liberals, in the early 2010s, projects were considerably cheaper, even adjusting for inflation.

Even after adjusting for inflation. NDP elementary school projects (orange) are far more expensive than their BC Liberal counterparts (blue). The asterisks indicate the projects are still under construction.

BC continues to have fiscal challenges

While the New Westminster project has new features, such as electric vehicle parking stalls that the previous projects in the 2010s did not have, whether that warrants a $60,000 increase per student remains to be seen. BC continues to stand on a tough financial footing, with a decreased credit rating and rising deficits. BC Finance Minister Brenda Bailey has pledged to address the issue.