Petition launched to rebuild burned-down Port Coquitlam school

Port Coquitlam, B.C. -

It’s been a painful few months for families of Hazel Trembath Elementary students since the Port Coquitlam school burned to the ground in a suspicious fire in mid-October. Now, there’s a push to ensure the school is actually rebuilt.

Parents have put together a petition to make that case – with uncertainty about whether the province actually plans to build a new school on the Hazel Trembath site.

Based on some of the communication from the school district with parents, Kim O’Neill, whose daughter is in Grade 2, fears the provincial government will choose to move the children to another school. That could take multiple forms, such as a wing added to an existing school, or a new school built on the site of a school that’s already in place.

“We need this school here,” O’Neill insisted during an interview. “This school was here for a reason. It was a need to the community way back when, and it is, if anything, more of a need to the community right now. So not rebuilding and dispersing our children to other elementary schools in the area is just not an option for us. It’s not what parents want.”

School District 43 did not make anyone available for an interview, but provided CTV News with a statement, which reads, in part:

“The Ministry of Education and Child Care makes decisions on building schools and, so far, no decision has been made. At this time, School District 43 (Coquitlam) is providing the ministry with as much information as possible to aid them in coming to a decision.”

Similarly, Education Minister Rachna Singh was not made available for an interview, but the ministry provided a statement.

“The Coquitlam school district is currently working to determine the best path forward that balances the interests of the school community with the broader needs of the district,“ the ministry's statement reads.

For parents like Daniel Castrillon, the possibility the school won’t be rebuilt is difficult to take.

“Our petition is fairly clear, and it’s been fairly clear from the beginning that we want the school back," Castrillon said. "I want my daughter to go back to the school where she knew her school. I know other kids have not really liked going to Winslow. They miss Hazel.”

In the medium term, students are attending Winslow Centre, a former high school which was being used as an administrative building before the fire. For parents like O’Neill and Castrillon, the possibility that Hazel Trembath won’t be rebuilt has come as a disappointment – especially given some of the initial comments from the school district in the immediate aftermath of the fire, which suggested an expedited process for a new school could be an option.