THE BC NDP said on Saturday that instead of building schools, BC Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson and the BC Liberals spent over a decade fighting with parents, taking teachers to court and chronically underfunding school capital budgets. But the BC NDP are making different choices and will move quickly to build a new school in Olympic Village.
“In 2015 the BC Liberals tried to close 19 schools in Vancouver, but we fought tooth and nail to keep them open,” said BC NDP candidate for Vancouver-Fraserview George Heyman. “The last time Andrew Wilkinson was at the cabinet table, he cut services that families in our community relied on, in favour of tax cuts to his wealthy donors. But we’re making choices that invest in people, not profits for the well connected”
Between 2002-2017, Wilkinson and the BC Liberals closed 267 schools, killing jobs while leaving overcrowded classes in their wake. The BC NDP said it understands that a strong public education system is key to a healthy society and have made a historic $2 billion investment into public education over the last three years, leading to a record 102 new school projects approved across the province. Schools are often the heart of a community, and as the student population grows in Olympic Village, a new school will serve as the community hub families need.
“I know from living and working in this community that this new school will make worlds of difference to the young families that call False Creek home, giving them more time to enjoy our beautiful city” said Vancouver-False Creek candidate Brenda Bailey. “I chose to run for the BC NDP because of their strong track record on delivering the services that families need, and today’s announcement is just another example.”
John Horgan’s progress on education:
- Hired 4,200 new teachers
- Smallest class sizes in a decade
- Built 141 new playgrounds so parents don’t have to fundraise
