Premier Christy Clark announced more than $584 million to seismically upgrade 45 high-risk schools today, marking a significant milestone in government’s commitment to student safety.
“Absolutely nothing is more important than keeping our kids safe.
Today we’re two-thirds of the way to meeting our commitment to
seismically upgrading all high-risk schools in B.C.,” said Premier
Clark. “This investment means parents sending their kids to 45 more
high-risk schools know they will be able to withstand a major
earthquake.”
The School Seismic Mitigation Program is an ongoing program to address
all high-risk school buildings. With these 45 new projects, a total of
213 schools have either been completed, are under construction, are
proceeding to construction, or have been supported through the
program. That leaves 102 high-priority schools to be addressed.
“It’s a significant challenge to upgrade each and every high-risk
school throughout British Columbia, but the progress we’ve made so far
is fantastic,” said Education Minister Don McRae. “Leading experts in
this area continue to seek information on our work, our research on
seismic safety, and we take great pride in knowing our innovations are
being used to keep kids safe both here and across North America.”
First launched in 2004, the School Seismic Mitigation Program is
backed by leading B.C. engineers and geoscientists who designed new
guidelines for seismic safety in schools based on the latest research
from major earthquakes around the globe. In 2010, these experts used
these guidelines and new assessment tools to conduct a comprehensive
reassessment leading to a more accurate picture of seismic safety
risks in B.C. schools.
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