MORE students and staff in Vancouver are safer at school with the completion of the seismic replacement of Eric Hamber Secondary, the province announced on Friday.

“Our government continues to make record investments in upgrading, expanding and building schools to ensure students in B.C. have safe, modern classrooms where they can thrive,” said Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care. “I’m delighted families, students and staff in the South Cambie neighbourhood can rest assured this school is seismically safe.”

The new school, which has capacity for 1,700 students, was built to LEED gold standards that include energy-saving measures to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. Eric Hamber is the first secondary school in Vancouver to feature a dedicated child care centre for children under age five. The rooftop child care facility has nearly 70 licensed spaces for children.

The school integrates Indigenous designs, including a five-metre (16 foot) female welcome figure and weaving creations inspired by xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) artists, Brent Sparrow and Debra Sparrow. This reflects the Vancouver School Board’s commitment to reconciliation and to honour the rich cultural traditions and history of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people.

“We are committed to creating learning environments that meet the needs of students, and honour the rich, cultural heritage of the land our schools stand on. The integration of xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) designs throughout Hamber is a reflection of our ongoing reconciliation journey,” said Victoria Jung, chair, Vancouver School Board. “Because of the Province’s investment, we have another amazing new, seismically safe learning environment in Vancouver.”

The Province provided more than $94 million for the new Eric Hamber Secondary – the largest seismic school replacement project in Vancouver’s history. The Vancouver School Board contributed an additional $3.5 million toward a new auditorium, while the City of Vancouver contributed $8.2 million for a child care centre.

This project is part of the Province’s work to provide Vancouver students with seismically safer learning environments. Over the past seven years, the provincial government has invested more than $526 million in new, expanded and upgraded schools in the Vancouver School District. This includes the recently completed David Lloyd George Elementary and Bayview Community Elementary schools, and recent seismic upgrades completed at Edith Cavell Elementary and David Livingstone Elementary. The seismic replacement of Henry Hudson Elementary was finished this month. The new Olympic Village Elementary school is expected to be complete by 2029.