British ColumbiaA long-planned elementary school in Vancouver’s Coal Harbour will not open in 2025 as planned, and is instead targeted to open next fall. But, parents warn that the school board’s overcrowded classrooms are already forcing families to make difficult choices.City says the project’s waterfront location and construction challenges pushed the project backCBC News · Posted: Nov 06, 2025 9:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 6 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.The mixed-use building under construction at 482 Broughton St. in Vancouver’s Coal Harbour. (CBC)A long-planned elementary school in Vancouver’s Coal Harbour will not open in 2025 as expected and is now targeted for next fall as parents warn that overcrowded classrooms across the city are already forcing families to make difficult choices.The City of Vancouver-led project at 482 Broughton St. has been slowed by site constraints, says Coun. Pete Fry.“It’s been a challenge with the very specifics of this site, being on the waterfront, with a former industrial site and soil conditions,” he said. Vancouver City Council approved the mixed-use project in June 2021. It consists of a three-storey elementary school (capacity 340), 69 school-aged childcare spaces, a separate 65-space childcare centre for children aged 0-5 and 60 affordable rental homes.In June 2021, Vancouver City Council approved a multi-use development at 482 Broughton St., which includes a new elementary school, child-care spaces and affordable housing. (City of Vancouver)Fry says the site and design make the build more complex than a typical stand-alone school and challenging soil conditions in the waterfront location have added “unforeseen” complications.The project’s budget for the school component has also climbed. City documents show a $3 million increase for construction contingency “due to higher tender prices as a result of unanticipated site conditions.”That brings the cost estimate to $38 million from $35 million. Parents want timelines they can trustMelanie Cheng, chair of the Vancouver District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC), says delays and cost increases are eroding families’ confidence. “Parents need coordinated facility planning and information we can rely on so we can plan our lives.”The district says enrolment pressures downtown continue to exceed operating capacity.Melanie Cheng, chair of the Vancouver District Parent Advisory Council, said families need reliable information to plan child care and commuting. (CBC)“Families are considering leaving the downtown catchment areas because of the concern over lack of [class] spaces,” Cheng added.The DPAC chair says many are worried siblings won’t get into the same local school.Currently, there’s one secondary and four elementary schools in the city’s downtown. The Vancouver School Board (VSB) says the Coal Harbour school will add 170 additional seats over seven classrooms.But until it opens, students enrolled at the new school are temporarily attending classes at Lord Roberts Elementary and the Lord Roberts Annex. WATCH | Elementary school delayed:Opening of Coal Harbour elementary school delayed due to construction challengesThe opening of an elementary school in Vancouver’s Coal Harbour has hit delays due to construction challenges. As Tanushi Bhatnagar reports, parents are concerned about the delays as well as the cost of the project.In 2018, the VSB approved an agreement with BC Hydro to build the West End Substation at the Lord Roberts Annex site. BC Hydro says the new underground substation will replace the aging Dal Grauer facility and ensure reliable power for about 30,000 downtown customers.In return, the district secured fixed funding to fully fund and build the Coal Harbour school and later a full-sized replacement school at Lord Roberts Annex once the substation is complete. The Coal Harbour school is supposed to absorb students from Roberts Annex so the annex could be demolished for the substation and, later, rebuilt as a full-size elementary once the utility work is complete.VSB advocating for an opening as soon as feasible When it was first approved, the school’s design drew opposition from people concerned about view loss, property values, potential crime, traffic and consultation. Fry says many of those concerns have since been addressed through planning refinements. “The planning for this project and the work that’s gone into addressing a lot of those concerns have mitigated some of what we were hearing before,” he said. “Now we’re mostly hearing folks are eager to see the school open.”CBC News asked the city for specifics on how much work is complete and how much remains, but it did not provide a breakdown.The VSB stresses the city is leading the project and that the board will “continue to advocate for an opening as soon as feasible.”The city says the goal for now is to finish construction by spring next year and get students into the seats by fall.With files from Tanushi Bhatnagar and Shaurya Kshatri
Coal Harbour elementary delayed to fall 2026 as costs rise and parents seek clarity
