Province confirms it will fund rebuild of B.C. elementary school destroyed in suspicious fire

Chad Pawson · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 06, 2025 5:18 PM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Families successful Port Coquitlam are pleased to yet perceive that determination volition beryllium provincial funds to rebuild an simple schoolhouse that was destroyed successful a suspicious occurrence successful October 2023, contempt expressing vexation with the process.

On Wednesday, School District 43 Chair Michael Thomas said successful a Facebook station that the territory had received announcement from the state that superior backing had been approved to regenerate Hazel Trembath Elementary.

"We person spent the past 18 months advocating non-stop to the state to get Hazel rebuilt," helium wrote. "There indispensable beryllium a amended process for bonzer situations similar this."

The quality came a time aft the 2025 B.C. fund was released, which listed $4.6 cardinal to beryllium spent implicit 3 years to seismically regenerate oregon upgrade schools crossed the province. Hazel Trembath wasn't listed.

That infuriated Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West, himself a erstwhile Hazel Trembath pupil, who besides had a lad attending astatine the clip of the fire, which occurred overnight and did not origin immoderate injuries.

Not seeing wealth successful the B.C. budget for the school, West said helium pondered unit tactics specified arsenic not collecting schoolhouse taxes connected behalf of the province.

"If the state is failing this community, possibly they should cod the schoolhouse taxes connected their ain and not beryllium connected america to bash it," helium told CBC News. "Those types of things to effort and ... truly clasp their feet to the fire."

On Thursday, Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma confirmed successful a connection that determination is backing successful Budget 2025 for the replacement of Hazel Trembath Elementary but did not supply amounts oregon a timeline.

"We are moving with the schoolhouse territory connected adjacent steps," said Ma.

Shortly aft the fire, the schoolhouse territory said it would instrumentality 3 years to rebuild the schoolhouse unless determination was an expedited timeline.

Shawna Comey, a genitor with 2 children who would beryllium astatine the schoolhouse if it was inactive standing, said Wednesday's announcement from the schoolhouse territory came arsenic a "shock and a relief."

Since October 2023, her children person had to autobus for astir 20 minutes to the Winslow Centre successful Coquitlam to be a makeshift schoolhouse acceptable up determination for affected families.

"It's a bully impermanent solution," said Comey, who added that it comes with challenges. "There's been a spot of nonaccomplishment of assemblage that mode and a consciousness of … schoolhouse spirit."

Comey said that contempt advocacy and a petition from the assemblage to person the schoolhouse rebuilt, determination was nary certainty it would really hap oregon whether the onshore the schoolhouse was connected would beryllium sold and a schoolhouse would beryllium built elsewhere.

"We didn't cognize what was going to happen."

School territory seat Thomas besides wrote that "families shouldn't beryllium near successful limbo erstwhile catastrophe strikes their vicinity school, but that's a speech for different day."

RCMP accidental they proceed to analyse however the occurrence started but judge it was human-caused.

In March 2024, constabulary said it was transgression successful quality and were looking for suspects.