The province is promising $122 million for seismic upgrades at 14 high priority schools, while nearly 140 other schools also deemed highly vulnerable in a major earthquake will wait in line behind them.
Schools slated for upgrades include South Delta Secondary in Delta, Aberdeen Elementary in Abbotsford, Alpha Secondary in Burnaby, Banting Middle School in Coquitlam, Argyle Secondary in North Vancouver, C.E. Barry Intermediate in Hope and École des Pionniers in Port Coquitlam. Three other schools in Vancouver and three more on Vancouver Island were also identified.
The projects were picked from most-recent district capital plans and represent top-ranked projects based on an updated assessment of seismic safety risk, according to the province.
But they represent less than 10 per cent of the 152 high-priority schools now identified on a revised list for upgrades under the School Seismic Mitigation Program. (See complete list below.)
The estimated cost of repairs to all high-priority schools is pegged at $1.3 billion.
Some old schools slated for upgrades were built more than a half century ago when seismic risks weren't well understood.
"This is the next step in our ongoing and comprehensive program to make B.C. schools safe in the event of a major earthquake," Education Minister George Abbott said.
He said the aim is to get all 152 high-risk schools retrofitted or replaced over the next five to 10 years.
A technical team led by the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of B.C. have been working to refine risk assessments and response strategies at UBC's Earthquake Engineering Research Facility.
"Since the onset of the Seismic Mitigation Program in 2005, we have learned more about the nature of earthquakes, how structures behave during these kinds of events, and how to predict their behaviour," facility director Carlos Ventura said.
The province is exploring options to provide more money for non-structural safety improvement at medium- and low-ranked schools starting in 2013.
B.C. has spent $790 million on school seismic upgrades over the past decade.
So far, work is either beginning, underway or complete on 137 seismic upgrade projects across the province.
SCHOOLS NOW RANKED HIGH PRIORITY IN REVISED ASSESSMENT
See PDF list of 152 high-priority schools
Abbotsford
- Aberdeen Elementary (now proceeding)
- Clearbrook Elementary
- King Traditional Elementary
- Yale Secondary Abbottsford
Burnaby
- Alpha Secondary (now proceeding)
- Armstrong Elementary
- Burnaby North Secondary
- Cascade Heights Elementary
- Glenwood Elementary
- Kitchener Elementary
- Marlborough Elementary
- Maywood Community
- Montecito Elementary
- Moscrop Jr. Secondary
- Parkcrest Elementary
- Rosser Elementary
- Seaforth Elementary
- Stoney Creek Elementary
- Stride Avenue Elementary
Coquitlam
- Banting Middle (now proceeding)
- Cedar Drive Elementary
- Dr. Charles Best Secondary
- Glenayre Elementary
- Hillcrest Middle
- Irvine Elementary
- Maple Creek Middle
- Mary Hill Elementary
- Minnekhada Middle
- Montgomery Middle
- Port Moody Elementary
Delta
- South Delta Secondary (now proceeding)
- Delta Secondary
- Gibson Elementary
Hope
- C.E. Barry Intermediate (now proceeding)
Langley
- Brookswood Secondary
- D.W. Poppy Secondary
- H.D. Stafford Secondary
- Langley Secondary
- Mountain Secondary
- Shortreed Community
Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows
- Fairview Elementary
- Westview Secondary
Mission
- Mission Secondary
North Vancouver
- Argyle Secondary (now proceeding)
- Balmoral Jr. Secondary
- Handsworth Secondary
- Windsor Secondary
Port Coquitlam
- École des Pionniers (now proceeding) - SD 93
Richmond
- Donald e. McKay Elementary
- James Gilmore Elementary
- James Thompson Elementary
- Manoah Steves Elementary
- Quilchena Elementary
Surrey
- Bear Creek Elementary
- David Brankin Elementary
- J.T. Brown Elementary
- Mary Jane Shannon Elementary
- Prince Charles Elementary
- Queen Elizabeth Secondary
- Holly Elementary
- George Greenaway Elementary
Vancouver
- Dr. George M. Weir Elementary (now proceeding)
- Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith (now proceeding)
- Sir Wilfred Grenfell Community (now proceeding)
- Admiral Seymour Elementary
- Bayview Community Elementary
- Britannia Community Secondary
- Carnarvon Community
- Champlain Heights Community
- Chief Maquinna Elementary
- David Livingstone Elementary
- David Lloyd George Elementary
- David Thompson Secondary
- Dr. A.R. Lord Elementary
- Dr. H.N. MacCorkindale Elementary
- Dr. Annie B. Jamieson Elementary
- Edith Cavell Elementary
- Emily Carr Elementary
- Eric Hamber Secondary
- False Creek Elementary
- Florence Nightingale Elementary
- G.T. Cunningham Elementary
- General Brock Elementary
- General Wolfe Elementary
- Gladstone Secondary
- Graham Bruce Community
- Grandview Elementary
- Henry Hudson Elementary
- John Henderson Elementary
- Killarney Secondary
- King George Secondary
- Lord Beaconsfield Elementary
- Lord Byng Secondary
- Lord Selkirk Annex
- Lord Selkirk Elementary
- Lord Tennyson Elementary
- Maple Grove Elementary
- Mount Pleasant Elementary
- Nootka Community Elementary
- Point Grey Secondary
- Prince of Wales Secondary
- Queen Alexandra Elementary
- Queen Elizabeth Annex
- Queen Elizabeth Elementary
- Queen Victoria Annex
- Quilchena Elementary
- Renfrew Community Elementary
- Sir Alexander MacKenzie Elementary
- Sir John Franklin Community
- Sir Richard McBride Annex
- Sir William MacDonald Elementary
- Sir William Osler Elementary
- Sir Winston Churchill Secondary
- Southlands Elementary
- Templeton Secondary
- Thunderbird Elementary
- Tillicum Elementary
- Waverley Annex
- Waverley Elementary
- Windermere Community Secondary
- Ecole Anne Hebert Conseil scolaire francophone (SD 93)
Greater Victoria
- Quadra Elementary (now proceeding)
- Arbutus Middle
- Braefoot Elementary
- Cedar Hill Jr. Secondary
- Craigflower Elementary
- George Jay Elementary
- Lambrick Park Secondary
- MacAulay Elementary
- Reynolds Secondary
- Shoreline Community Middle
- Tillicum Elementary
Vancouver Island
- Sangster Elementary (now proceeding)
- Deep Cove Elementary (now proceeding)
- Georges P. Vanier Secondary (now proceeding)
- C.E. Barry Intermediate (now proceeding)
- École des Pionniers (now proceeding)
- Dunsmuir Middle Sooke
- Ruth King Elementary Sooke
- Willway Elementary Sooke
- Children’s Development Centre Saanich (SD 63)
- Cordova Bay Elementary Saanich (SD 63)
- Keating Elementary Saanich (SD 63)
- Lochside Elementary Saanich (SD 63)
- Fernwood Elementary Gulf Islands (SD 64)
- Brechin Elementary Nanaimo-Ladysmith (SD 68)
- Cilaire Elementary Nanaimo-Ladysmith (SD 68)
- Departure Bay Elementary Nanaimo-Ladysmith (SD 68)
- North Cedar Intermediate Nanaimo-Ladysmith (SD 68)
- Pleasant Valley Elementary Nanaimo-Ladysmith (SD 68)
- Wickaninnish Community Alberni (SD 70)
- A.B. Greenwell Elementary Cowichan Valley (SD 79)
- Cowichan Secondary Cowichan Valley (SD 79)
- Koksilah Elementary Cowichan Valley (SD 79)