CANADA, June 14 - Families in the fast-growing Latoria community will soon have a new elementary school to meet their needs.

The school will be built with an environmentally friendly design, focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions during construction and operation.

“Every year, we see more and more families moving to Langford to raise their children, and we are supporting this growing community by building good schools close to home,” said Premier John Horgan, MLA for Langford-Juan de Fuca. “By using mass timber in the construction of this school, we will also be supporting good-paying forestry jobs, reducing carbon pollution and keeping our kids learning in small class sizes.” 

The Government of B.C. has approved $39.6 million to build the new south Langford elementary school. The Sooke School District has committed to contribute an additional $1 million.

The new school will provide 480 seats and a better place to learn for students in the Latoria neighbourhood. It will include a neighbourhood learning centre, which will be used for community programs, such as child care. Elevators and accessible gender-neutral washrooms are part of the design. The school is expected to be ready for students in fall 2025.

“Our government is making historic investments in school projects like this one, and after many years of underfunding by the old government, there’s more work to do. We are committed to building and expanding schools in communities throughout the province,” said Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Education and Child Care. “This new school in Langford will be a space that fosters a sense of community and belonging, and it will meet the needs of a diverse group of students now and for future generations.”

The school will be built using mass timber, a climate-friendly building practice that will reduce the overall carbon footprint of construction. B.C. is a world leader in the use of mass timber and has prioritized its use in the StrongerBC Economic Plan to align with the government’s goal of helping businesses and people transition to clean energy solutions. In addition to mass timber, other efforts such as the use of heat pumps, thick exterior wall insulation and unit ventilators will help lower the overall carbon footprint of the school.

“The Sooke School District is delighted with the announcement of a new elementary school in south Latoria that will support the ever-growing enrolment of students in Langford,” said Ravi Parmar, chair, Sooke School District Board of Education. “From lowering the overall carbon footprint of the school to the inclusion of a neighbourhood learning centre for community programming and child care, the new south Latoria elementary school will be a positive and welcome addition to one of the fastest growing communities in B.C.”

Bringing a new school to south Langford is part of the Province’s work to build new and expanded schools in fast-growing communities to provide a better learning experience.

Budget 2022 includes $3.1 billion for school capital projects over the next three years, including new and expanded schools, seismic upgrades and replacements, and land purchases for future schools. 

Quick Facts:

• The school will be built adjacent to Latoria Road, on land purchased in 2020 with $7.7 million from the Province and a contribution of $960,000 from the school district.
• Since September 2017, the Province has invested more than $1 billion for new and expanded schools, creating more than 15,500 new student seats throughout B.C. This includes a total of $227 million in the Sooke School District alone, with 2,280 new student seats announced in less than four years.