Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique set to acquire 7.3 acres of Lansdowne lands for future new school

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique set to acquire 7.3 acres of Lansdowne lands for future new school

Victoria, BC – The Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique (CSF) and Greater Victoria School District No. 61 are pursuing the transfer of 7.3 acres of land on Lansdowne Middle School’s 25 acre site.

The sale of the property is pending public consultation by the Greater Victoria School District.  If approved, the CSF intends to use the land for a permanent location for l’École Beausoleil.

For the past six years, the CSF has leased and operated l’École Beausoleil at the former Sundance Elementary location from the Greater Victoria School District. The lease ended in June 2020 and CSF was granted an extension to June 2021 by School District No. 61. The building will be reopened in September 2021 as a Greater Victoria School District elementary school to meet the school district’s growing need.

In 2018, Greater Victoria School District underwent a boundary review due to increasing enrolment and space pressures in some of its schools. A result of the review was the school district had to re-align school boundaries and find additional space to accommodate current and future catchment students in the communities of Victoria and Oak Bay. It was determined that the Sundance School building was required for Greater Victoria School District enrolment.

The CSF and the Ministry of Education are committed to finding a short-term solution for l’École Beausoleil students, families and staff while work on a permanent solution is underway.

The Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique is a public school district with more than 6,400 students and 45 schools across the province, offering a curriculum from kindergarten through grade 12.

The Greater Victoria School District will commence public consultation on the land sale at a future date.

Quote: Minister of Education, Jennifer Whiteside

“Our government is committed to ensuring students have access to the same high quality education in both of Canada’s official languages. The intent from the Greater Victoria School District to provide land in Victoria to the CSF is a great step forward for local families, and we look forward to working with the CSF on a long-term solution for Francophone students in Victoria.”

Quote: SD61 Board Chair, Jordan Watters

“Our Board of Education is very pleased that this parcel of land will be further utilized for public education—and that we were able to assist CSF in finding a permanent home. We are excited to know that this will provide many generations of students access to francophone programming, while also bringing benefits to the Greater Victoria school community.”

Quote: Murray Rankin, MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head

“I’m happy to see that progress is being made and there is now more clarity for parents and students in their efforts to finding an alternative home for l’École Beausoleil. As MLA, I will continue to support the CSF and SD61 in delivering high-quality education in both of Canada’s official languages.”

Quote: CSF Board Chair, Patrick Gatien

“We are pleased to be working with the GVSD to acquire the land at Lansdowne, this represents an important milestone in the development of the access to Francophone education for the community of Victoria. This land will allow us to build a school that will permanently accommodate the growing school community of l’École Beausoleil.”

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Media Contacts:
Pascale Cyr

Chef, affaires publiques
Head, Public Affairs
T: 604.209.9593

Lisa McPhail 
Communications & Community Engagement
Greater Victoria School District
T: 250.475.4103

 

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