The Strathcona Standard

By Grant Warkentin

There’s no good reason for the province to keep delaying funding repairs for fire-damaged Carihi Secondary School, say parents.

Pointing to a fire-damaged school in Port Coquitlam that’s well on its way to being open for students next year, the Carihi Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) says the province could easily do the same for Campbell River’s damaged school.

“Hazel Trembath shows that BC can approve and fund a school rebuild on a meaningful timeline when there is political will to do so,” says a website set up by the PAC. “The same Ministry of Infrastructure and the same Treasury Board are available to Carihi today. The only thing missing is the decision.”

In October 2023, the Hazel Trembath Elementary School in Port Coquitlam was destroyed by an arsonist, who still hasn’t been caught. In October 2025, a $39 million replacement was approved by the province, and the new school is scheduled to start construction this July. It’s expected to be completed by December 2027.

If a whole school can be replaced in 24 months, then repairing a gymnasium in the same time frame should also be possible, the PAC argues.

What they want

The PAC is asking the province to “confirm Treasury Board approval and funding for the rebuild of the Carihi Secondary gymnasium and A-Wing in the 2026–27 capital cycle, and commit to delivering it as quickly as possible, so that students do not lose another school year without a gym.”

There’s a petition set up to gather support and help pressure the province to do its duty.

“With no specific plan or funding in place a year and a half after the fire, it is imperative that we act swiftly and decisively in the physical rebuilding process,” says the petition. “The status quo, with virtual assemblies, borrowed spaces, and off-site programming cannot replicate the energy, pride, accessibility, and connection that come from gathering as a school community in one place.

“At the current pace, some students may graduate having spent their entire high school career without ever experiencing a functioning school gymnasium or the full extracurricular opportunities that are meant to define adolescence.”

We broke the news

The Strathcona Standard was first to report on how the Ministry of Infrastructure has not committed funding for repairs. In February, School District 72 communications manager Jennifer Patrick told the Standard the district had submitted plans for the rebuild, and was waiting for the ministry to respond. When nothing for Carihi appeared in this year’s provincial budget, parents took action this spring.

The PAC has set up a website to monitor the situation with Carihi, and to encourage people to sign the petition.

School board weighs in

School District 72’s board of trustees published an open letter yesterday to Bowinn Ma, Minister of Infrastructure. The letter says Ma and the board spoke on April 29 and on May 6 about the issue.

“At the public board meeting Tuesday evening May 5, the Carihi PAC and our board expressed grave concerns about the lack of Ministry response,” it says. “We respectfully ask that the Carihi project be treated with the urgency its circumstances warrant, and that all possible steps be taken to accelerate timelines and provide our district and community with a clear next steps pathway.”