VSB ADMITS FUNDING GAP FOR ROBERTS ANNEX REPLACEMENT
PAC fears new school “decades away”

by John Streit
(click images to enlarge)

**ARTIST RENDERING OF NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AT NELSON PARK** *(BC HYDRO)*

In the summer of 2018, the Vancouver School Board (VSB) agreed to sell BC Hydro the underground parcel rights of Lord Roberts Annex Elementary School so the provincial utility could build a new West End Substation to upgrade downtown Vancouver’s electrical system.

At the time, it was billed as a triple win. BC Hydro would get its preferred site for a new substation while helping partially fund a new school at Coal Harbour and a replacement school at Nelson Park.

But while the cəw̓as Ch’elxwá7elch Skwuláw̓txw Seaside Elementary School at Coal Harbour is getting set to welcome students this fall (at least a year behind schedule) and BC Hydro prepares to start construction on its substation this fall, one major component of the deal appears to be in doubt - the replacement school at Nelson Park.

Michael Thicke with the Lord Roberts Annex/Seaside Parent Advisory Committee says his members have learned the replacement school is now on a long list competing with the many other schools needing replacement/additions due to age, space issues or seismic concerns. “This despite the fact that the purchase price of the land was meant to cover the new school. There has been no clear commitment from the province to prioritize a replacement school - the funding will go into the VSB Capital Plan. We have recently been told that the first phase might build the parkade but will not commit to building the school. We were told that Hydro has committed to building up to "grade."”

The Vancouver School Board tells The West End Journal (TWEJ) the district has received $65 million from BC Hydro. “To date, $41.96 million has been committed to the cəw̓as Ch’elxwá7elch Skwuláw̓txw Seaside project and the balance is available for the LRA replacement project. Since the time of the original cost estimates, eight years ago, significant cost escalations have occurred across all capital projects. This has resulted from material costs, supply chain challenges, shifting labour availability, and overall escalation. These same cost pressures have impacted the anticipated total cost of the LRA replacement project. As a result, there is now a funding gap to complete the LRA replacement school.”

That funding gap has the PAC fearing a replacement Roberts Annex is now “decades away.” “There is a real need for schools - Lord Roberts Elementary has 650 students, making it one of the largest elementary schools in Vancouver. The Annex has been there for 50 years, it is in a great, central location and is directly adjacent to the park. It was built to take some of the pressure off of Lord Roberts Elementary and that pressure has only increased. All downtown schools are at capacity - the new Seaside school will serve the Coal Harbour Neighbourhood and will relieve some existing overcrowding but it will not get ahead of demand. We think tearing down this school with no concrete funding or plan in place to replace it is short-sighted,” Thicke tells the TWEJ.

The VSB says the Ministry of Infrastructure is responsible for approving and funding major capital projects for school districts, including the construction of new schools. “In 2024, recognizing the local funding limitations, this project was added to the Five-Year Major Capital Plan submissions to the Province to secure full funding of the project. The Ministry did not approve the funding. The project was again included in the 2025 Five-Year Major Capital Plan as a first priority in the expansion (new school) category, however the Ministry did not approve the funding. While we did not receive funding approval this year, we will continue to list a new school at Lord Roberts Annex as a priority in subsequent annual funding requests,” the VSB tells WEJ.

BC Hydro says it’s working with the Vancouver School Board through this process. “We understand that building a replacement school at this site remains a priority in the VSB’s capital plan. We’re working closely with the VSB to identify practical ways to support their project, such as coordinating the construction of the school foundation and parkade up to the ground surface, without adding costs for our customers,” it says in an email response to the TWEJ.

The West End Journal asked BC Hydro if it's concerned It would be blamed or accused of breaking a promise if a new Lord Roberts Annex isn’t immediately built following construction of the substation. “We want to be clear that our goal is to work collaboratively toward a positive outcome for the community. Building a new substation and enabling a future school at the Lord Roberts Annex site are both important priorities. We’re working closely with the VSB to advance our respective plans for a new substation and school at the Lord Roberts Annex site, to ensure that both facilities can be constructed efficiently, and operate safely and securely.”

**RENDERING OF CONCERN FOR LR ANNEX PAC** *(BC HYDRO)*

Adding apparent insult to injury for the Lord Roberts PAC, a BC Hydro site rendering on a recent West End Substation Construction Consultation poster appears to show a construction site with no new school, “just a bare concrete pad.”

But the VSB maintains there’s nothing to read into the omission of the school from the BC Hydro poster. “The rendering on the poster shows the early stage of the construction, which is focused on the substation. “The grey area is a temporary construction area for laydown/truck turnaround while they are focusing on excavation and pouring concrete for the substation. This rendering does not show the inclusion of the school which would be built on top. These renderings purposefully delineate the difference between the substation from the school to not confuse the two concurrent and overlapping processes,” says the VSB. BC Hydro says the images it’s been sharing of a completed West End Substation project do include the replacement school.

Michael Thicke says his Lord Roberts Annex PAC has also been expressing concerns to BC Hydro about the substation plan itself, suggesting major changes have taken place since West Enders were first shown the proposal almost 10 years ago. “We are asking that the design be modified to be fully underground with a planting layer on top so that the children can benefit from greenery and trees. This is closer to the original design from the 2017 report that included schematic designs of the Nelson Park and Emery Barnes sites. Since that early design - the Hydro team has made several decisions to save money such as reducing the excavation depth and replacing the type of equipment from gas to ester which requires additional space, more ventilation, and is more prone to catching fire or explosion. In the most recent design 30 per cent of the site is now occupied by above-ground portions of the substation which means that portions of the outdoor areas of the school are one story above the surrounding park. This means that there will be large concrete walls surrounding the site and it leaves no space for soil that could support additional greenery,” Thicke says.

**NELSON STREET ANGLE OF COMPLETED SUBSTATION AND SCHOOL** *(BC HYDRO)*

BC Hydro says it is hearing the concerns of the PAC. “We are responding to them directly to answer their questions, and will continue to engage them and other stakeholders throughout the project. Last spring, BC Hydro shared its design for the substation, including the six below-grade floors, and, at the surface, two air vents, a street entrance and a shared ramp to underground school parking and the substation entrance. While the majority of the substation is underground, the above-ground elements are required to access the substation and provide ventilation to workers and equipment inside the facility. The design of the substation’s above-ground elements is driven by safety and operational requirements and consideration for impacts to the surrounding community. We’re working closely with the VSB and Vancouver Park Board to ensure that our final designs are cohesive.”

**Rendering of FUTURE ABOVE GROUND AIR VENT ON NELSON ST** *(BC HYDRO )*

Thicke says the PAC has had recent meetings with the various parties involved in the project plus Vancouver City Councillor Lucy Maloney. “We presented our concerns and proposals and the Hydro team gave a presentation and spoke to some of our concerns. It was a good discussion but no commitments were made by their team. We are continuing to reach out to representatives from the VSB, Hydro, and various levels of government to present our concerns. We hope to work with their team to find some solutions that better address the site and needs of the students. The PAC has also signed up for intervener status with the British Columbia Utilities Commission. A process that is just getting started,” he says.

BC Hydro says once that BCUC regulatory review is complete, it expects construction of the West End Substation to start late this year. “The main phase of construction will start in spring 2027, with excavation, and is expected to be complete by 2032 when all the major equipment is installed. After that, we’ll move into commissioning – essentially testing and energizing the substation and connecting it to the existing grid. This final phase is expected to wrap up in 2033 and should have minimal impact on the surrounding community,” says BC Hydro.

Thicke says the Lord Roberts Annex is an important part of the West End. “The school, despite its age, is well loved by the community. The grounds serve as a playground and recreational area for the neighbourhood’s many children of school age or younger. We have been informed of the project over the years and offered the chance to provide feedback in a limited way (ie: what art should we have on the concrete retaining walls). We don’t feel like there has been true consultation with our community or that the team has made any effort to incorporate our feedback. Most of the community has accepted the fact that unfortunately the substation will be located on this site - we hope that Hydro will make some effort to minimize the impact of the substation on the school and the neighbourhood. We hope that they will ultimately build it underground as initially promised.”

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS

You can share your thoughts about the West End Substation Project in the BC Hydro survey here.
The next on-line “virtual open-house” on substation construction plans is happening Wednesday, June 3 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. while you can visit a “community pop-up” on Thursday, June 4 between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. at Nelson Park.

West Ender John Streit has been a B.C. radio, TV and online journalist
for more than 25 years. You can listen to John anchor
Global News weekday mornings on 730 CKNW Radio in Vancouver.