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Seismic upgrade delay puts kids at risk: officials Province announces deadline for school seismic upgrades pushed back 5 years Rosie Townshend-Carter Victoria News
Don Denton/Victoria News
Dominant performance Victoria Cougars’ Lane Van de Wetering celebrates a goal against the West Shore Wolves in Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League playoffs. The Cougars have dominated in the playoffs taking the Kerry Park Islanders out in four games, and were looking for a sweep last night in the second round of playoffs.
OVER rs 30 YeaC in B
School children may be at risk if an earthquake hits within the next few years as many Victoria schools are not properly protected, say school district officials. Education Minister Peter Fassbender confirmed Friday the deadline for earthquake proofing will be moved back five years. The original deadline was set for 2020. The Greater Victoria School District has yet to hear if this will affect any of its ongoing or upcoming project, said school board chair Edith Loring-Kuhanga. “It’s all speculation as to what the minister is doing,”she said. Loring-Kuhanga said the district can only handle one major project a year due to lack of space to move students. Currently, the district moves students to a vacant school when it calls for a major seismic upgrading. Jim Soles, supervisor of building projects, said the district has been keeping up with its renovation goals.
Edith Loring-Kuhanga “We’ve been moving along pretty steady the last few years,” he said. With schools such as George Jay elementary being built in 1908 and Victoria High School in 1913, the possibility of a collapse during an earthquake is high. “Typically they are not designed for seismic loads. Some of the schools are deemed at risk of collapsing or a partial collapse in the event of an earthquake,” said Soles. Soles said those buildings deemed very high risk are being worked on now and the high risk ones are scheduled for the future. In 2005, the B.C. government promised to have 750 schools rebuilt by 2020 to earthquake standards. Of that 750, only 121 have been completed or are in process. intern@vicnews.com
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