HAIDA GWAII – North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice says students in Haida Gwaii will benefit from safer, more efficient schools thanks to $530,000 in provincial funding for school upgrade projects in the Haida Gwaii School District.

“This funding boost is more than an investment in our schools, it’s an investment in our kids – who are the future of our province,” said Rice. “Parents and students can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that their schools will be safer and more comfortable as a result of these important upgrades.”

Haida Gwaii School Distict (SD 50) is receiving $530,000 in funding for school maintenance projects, which include flooring upgrades at Sk’aadgaa Naay Elementary, and washroom upgrades at Gudangaay Tlaats’gaa Naay Secondary.

These funding programs are part of a $206 million provincial investment under the Annual Facilities Grant, School Enhancement Program, Carbon Neutral Capital Program and Bus Replacement Program, to ensure students have well-maintained learning environments and bus services that are safe, comfortable and efficient. This year’s funding is a $500,000 increase from the previous year, and a $20.6 million increase from 2016/17.

Since September 2017, the New Democrat government has approved nearly $2.7 million for school upgrades in the district, including over $1.5 million for building envelope upgrades at Gudangaay Tlaats’gaa Naay Secondary.

The New Democrat government has delivered historic levels of funding to B.C. schools, including the biggest operative and capital budgets in B.C. history, an extra $1-billion in classroom funding over 2016/17, $2.7-billion over three years to build, seismically upgrade and expand K-12 schools, and a new annual $5-million playground fund.

Learn More: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2019EDUC0019-000324