Background

With deep gratitude and respect, we are honoured to be learning and unlearning on the ancestral and unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) & səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation).

Sir Guy Carleton Elementary School (Carleton Elementary) was severely damaged by a fire in 2016 making it unsuitable and unsafe to use. No students have attended school on this site since 2016. Following the fire, most Carleton students attended school at Cunningham, others attended nearby schools.

Multiple funding requests to repair and upgrade the school were not approved by the provincial government. The buildings are significantly damaged, at risk of vandalism and require costly maintenance. Nearby schools have sufficient space to accommodate current and future students.

The Conseil scolaire francophone (CSF) has also expressed interest in acquiring the site to build a new French-language secondary school. VSB must balance minority language education rights under Section 23 of the Charter with its statutory requirements.

For more information visit govsb.ca/carletonclosure.

The Board is seeking public input as part of the process outlined in Policy 14 – School Closure.

All feedback received will be considered by the Board before a final decision is made at a special public Board meeting in December 2025.

This survey will be available until November 26, 2025.

Anonymity:
Your participation in this survey is completely voluntary. Your answers will be kept anonymous. The responses you provide will be combined with the responses of other survey participants and individual responses will not be identified.

*Information is collected in accordance with section 26(c) of BC’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
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