Parents rally in Olympic Village for proposed future school

With signs, songs, and bubble machines, residents in Vancouver’s Olympic Village gathered to support a long-awaited elementary school as it sees renewed pushback.

A rezoning application has drawn the ire of some in the community, which looks to add a fourth story and increase the school’s capacity to over 600 students. Residents opposed to the change say they’re concerned about traffic congestion and the removal of green space at Hinge Park, where the school will be built.

Many parents at the rally say their kids will be entering the Vancouver School District shortly, and after two decades of planning, the school is badly needed.

“We don’t need to wait any longer,” said Mykol. “If it has more seats, there are going to be lots of kids.”

Andrea Fraser says she has a four-year-old who is set to start Kindergarten next year, and she does not know where she’s going to send him.

“I’m a solo parent, it’s very important for me that our school be close to our house because I have to move all of the children around by myself,” said Fraser. “Quite honestly, everybody who lives in this neighbourhood knew there was going to be a school, if they didn’t like it, they didn’t have to move next door to it.”

While other attendees understand the concerns, for them, it doesn’t outweigh the needs of families.

Gwen Floyd is a teacher and is calling the concerns ridiculous.

“I know how badly a school is needed in communities and especially where kids can walk, bike, and be close to their homes,” said Floyd. “Why are you worried about another story in a place where we have built many…buildings that are taller?”

In July, the Vancouver School Board told The Leader Spirit in a statement that they were working on a traffic-management plan for the school.

The rezoning application needs to be approved before construction begins in 2027. The new school is scheduled to open its doors in 2030.