NORTH DELTA – New Democrat MLA for Delta North, Ravi Kahlon was at McCloskey Elementary last week for the grand opening of a new accessible playground made entirely of B.C. wood.

“Healthy kids lead to healthy communities,” said MLA Kahlon. “Our government recognizes that school playgrounds are not a luxury, but a key factor in a child’s development and learning. Thanks to this new funding, students at Chalmers Elementary, and now McCloskey Elementary have better, more accessible playground equipment.”

Kahlon said the playground was made possible by a $105,000 grant through the provincial Playground Equipment Program (PEP), a $5 million annual fund initiated by the New Democrat government. After two years, the PEP has funded 101 new playgrounds at schools across B.C., including two in North Delta.

Previously, parents were expected to fundraise tens of thousands of dollars to replace and upgrade school playground equipment. The PEP helps ensure equality among children attending schools with different financial resources and fundraising capacity.