Letter to VSB, City of Vancouver & Ministry of Education re: seismic motion

Yesterday DPAC sent the following letter to Rob Fleming, Minister of Education, Janet Fraser, Chair, Vancouver Board of Education, and Gregor Robertson, Mayor, City of Vancouver. (download pdf version)

Dear sirs and madam,

On Thursday, November 23rd, 2017 during a General Meeting of the Vancouver District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC), the following motion was passed unanimously by the 23 PACs with official representation present. We call on each of you to do your utmost to expedite the Seismic Mitigation Program (SMP) with a return to the 2025 deadline following the prioritization in the motion.

Motion: Vancouver School Board District Parent Advisory Council requests that the Vancouver School Board and associated partners (Ministry of Education, City of Vancouver) expedite the Seismic Mitigation Program (SMP) with a return to a 2025 deadline instead of the amended 2030 deadline.  To assist in achieving this target, DPAC urges the following prioritization:

  1. Speed -> all parents, children, and staff need to know there is progress towards all schools meeting the minimum safe designations for a significant seismic event.  We urge all partners to allocate the required funding and expertise to deliberately and transparently work towards this deadline

  2. Resources -> DPAC recognizes that we have to work within a limited resource envelope so we urge fiscal prudence in allocating expenditures that meet SMP standards for the greatest number of schools within the shortest possible timeframe

  3. Function and form -> unless there is conflict with priorities 1. and 2., DPAC does support the preservation of heritage facilities and schools as neighborhood hubs where possible.  We urge each relevant parent group, through their local PAC, begin the process of establishing a consensus position now.

We look forward to a time when all students in Vancouver, and across British Columbia,  are in seismically safe schools.

Sincerely,

Rob Peregoodoff

Chair, Vancouver DPAC