Nearly all the candidates running for school trustee in New Westminster will be facing off in Queensborough next week.
The all-candidates meeting is happening Monday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Queensborough Community Centre and is being hosted by the Queensborough Residents Association. The Record has confirmed that the following candidates will be in attendance:
- Alejandro Diaz
- Anita Ansari
- Cyrus Sy
- Danielle Connelly
- Dee Beattie
- Gurveen Dhaliwal
- J.P. LeBerg
- Mark Gifford
- Mary Lalji
- Maya Russell
- Lisa Falbo
- Lisa Graham
- Scott McIntosh
- Steve Tsonev
Doug Woodward told the Record he will be out of town on Monday and will not be able to participate in the debate. Candidate Cathy McCallum has yet to respond to any requests by the Record.
If you’re wondering why you should attend Monday’s all-candidates meeting, here’s why: Queensborough is the city’s fastest growing neighbourhood. In 2014, there were 1,240 kids aged zero to 12, according to the City of New Westminster.
With the New Westminster Secondary School replacement project well underway, the New Westminster school district is now looking to the provincial government for $18 million for a 12-classroom addition to Queen Elizabeth Elementary School. The project would also include a new gym and 15 per cent neighbourhood learning centre space.
This project is the district’s number 1 priority, as outlined in its five-year capital plan, which was updated in June.
Enrolment at Queen Elizabeth Elementary has been on the rise in recent years. To mitigate the situation, Grade 5 students were moved to Queensborough Middle School several years ago, and two more portables were brought in for the 2018/19 school years. (There are now a total of seven portables and two modular buildings at Queen Elizabeth Elementary.)
District staff expects enrolment at the elementary school to surpass 450 students this year.
