‘No shovels in the ground’: B.C. mayor blasts province on lack of progress rebuilding burned school

The mayor of Port Coquitlam is calling on the province to make good on its promise to rebuild local elementary school Hazel Trembath.

Nearly two years to the day a Port Coquitlam, B.C., school burned to the ground, the city’s mayor says the province is falling short on its promises to rebuild it.

On Oct. 14, 2023, Hazel Trembath Elementary School was destroyed in a suspicious fire, displacing approximately 200 students from their classrooms.

Since then, the site has sat empty, despite a commitment from the B.C. government that the school would be rebuilt.

Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West said the entire process has been disappointing.

“Here we are, two years later and we’ve got no shovels in the ground, and we don’t actually even have a plan or a timeline for when we’re going to get those shovels in the ground,” he said.

“It is creating a lot of uncertainty and a lot of stress, a lot of upset feelings in our community.”

‘Shouldn’t have to fight so darn hard’

In March, B.C. Infrastructure Minster Bowinn Ma said funding for the elementary school would be earmarked in the 2025 budget, but she did not provide a timeline.

West said the last time he heard from the province was after the budget announcement.

“We’re not going to stop fighting until this school is rebuilt,” he said.

“But you know what? We shouldn’t have to fight so darn hard. This should not require so much effort and advocacy from the community to just have the government do what it said it was going to do, right? It doesn’t need to be that complicated.”

Enrollment declining

In continuing his advocacy efforts, West sent his fifth letter about the school’s status to the province on Oct. 8.

In it he wrote, “In the case of Hazel Trembath, the only thing standing in the way of building a new school appears to be the province itself.”

He then invited provincial ministers to meet with the community to see how it’s impacted families, students and staff.

West said the past two years have been challenging and disruptive for students who have had to attend new schools in the area.

He said it’s also led to a reduction in enrollment at Hazel Trembath.

‘Over my dead body’

As for rumours that the land could be used for condo development, West was quick to shut those down.

“I have a pretty clear message for those people, which is: ‘Over my dead body,’” he said.

“The only thing that will happen there is a school, and it will remain a public space, so don’t waste your time.”

In a statement to CTV News, the infrastructure minister said staff have been working closely with the school district.

“The school district has submitted their business plan, which includes options for an expedited rebuild,” Ma said.

“The next step is approval of the plan and project budget. We look forward to sharing more information as soon as we are able.”