Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / PML / Al Van Tassel, director of facilities and transportation for SD33, points to expansion renderings alongside Rachna Singh, Minister for Education and Child Care, during a funding announcement Wednesday morning (Apr. 12) at Sardis Secondary. The provincial government will fund a $40 million, two-storey expansion of the school to increase its capacity from 1,200 seats to 1,600 seats.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Sardis Secondary expansion

Sardis Secondary to undergo $40 million expansion of 400 seats

Apr 12, 2023 | 11:10 AM

CHILLIWACK — B.C. Education Minister Rachna Singh visited Sardis Secondary Wednesday (Apr. 12) to announce a $40 million expansion that will see a 400-seat, two-storey addition to the school and an increased capacity to 1,600 seats.

“Students deserve engaging, supportive learning environments that help them thrive and reach their full potential,” said Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care. “We’re making investments in Chilliwack and other fast-growing communities to support families, students and school staff.”

During Wednesday’s expansion announcement, SD33 Superintendent Rohan Arul-pragasam said Chilliwack was one of the fastest-growing school districts in B.C. with a 2.3 per cent average growth over the last seven years.

The addition will be built using mass timber, supporting the government’s priority of creating climate-friendly buildings. The government says mass timber is an innovative building technology that will reduce the school’s carbon footprint throughout its lifetime by producing fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to steel or concrete.

Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / PML / SD33 Superintendent Rohan Arul-pragasam delivers introductory remarks at Wednesday’s funding announcement alongside B.C. Education Minister Rachna Singh.

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The funding for an addition to Sardis Secondary builds on the $100 million that has been invested by the province in the Chilliwack School District. In the past five years two new schools – Imagine High Arts and Technology and Stitó:s Lá:lém Totí:lt Elementary/Middle School – have opened, and school expansions at G.W. Graham Secondary and Vedder Elementary have been completed. These four projects added 2,220 new seats to the district.

Since September 2017, the B.C. government has announced $3.2 billion for new and improved schools, as well as land purchases for future schools throughout the province. This includes adding approximately 20,000 new student spaces and 33,000 seismically safe seats at B.C. schools.

The 2023 budget calls for $3.4 billion for school capital projects over the next three years, including new and expanded schools, seismic upgrades and replacements, and land purchases for future schools.

“Our government is doing great work to support families and students in Chilliwack,” said Kelli Paddon, MLA for Chilliwack-Kent. “It’s great to see how the recently completed addition at G.W. Graham Secondary, and the newly opened Stitó:s Lá:lém Totí:lt Elementary/Middle school are benefiting students and families.”

by Mike Vanden Bosch

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Sardis Secondary to undergo $40 million expansion of 400 seats

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