Parents frustrated by lack of details over Port Coquitlam, B.C., school rebuild, stopgap measures for students

Parents say they're frustrated by the lack of communication from the Port Coquitlam, B.C., school district regarding the rebuilding of an elementary school that was destroyed by fire more than two months ago.

Hazel Trembath Elementary was consumed in a fire on Oct. 14 that was deemed suspicious by authorities. 

While the school district updated parents on the school's rebuild in a meeting Monday, many parents left feeling disappointed, said Anand Kanna. 

"I find that a lot of questions that we had asked during the meeting weren't necessarily answered," said Kanna, whose daughter is in Grade 2. 

"It seems as though there is a plan in place that isn't being communicated very well. Bits and pieces are coming out and it's not sitting very well with the parents."

Hazel Trembath students were relocated to the Winslow Centre, a former high school that's nearly 20 minutes away by bus, after the fire. 

While Kanna and other parents said they were grateful for the school district's quick response, the short-term solution has come with setbacks that aren't being addressed. 

Due to the commute to the Winslow Centre, students have had their lunches shortened, while music lessons have been taken away and there's no access to a proper playground or library, according to parents. 

"Thank God they found the Band-Aid as quickly as they did. But at the end of the day, it's a Band-Aid," said Kanna. 

"We've got the basics, but we still need to build."

'A blow' to the kids

The daily commute between Hazel Trembath and the Winslow Centre has become a point of contention between the district and parents. 

Port Coquitlam school district board chair Michael Thomas says the district felt it would be best for students to be dropped off and picked up at the usual time every day at Hazel Trembath.

But in doing so, students travel from the former school to the temporary site during school hours. 

"Unavoidably, some adjustments were made around breaks and things like that, but in the new year we're hoping to adjust that timetable," said Thomas, adding a new bus schedule is in the works to increase lesson time.

Alaina Milicevic says the changes have been hard on her two kids, who are in grades 1 and 4. 

"My son has trouble going to school …  [and] it was decided that they didn't have time for music. So that's been a blow to my children," she said, adding she hopes the district creates more age-appropriate playground spaces. 

"There's a really small playground meant for middle school kids … I asked my son, 'What did you do at lunch?' And he said, 'Oh, I lie on a bench.'"

As for the former school site, Thomas says a contractor has been assigned to clearing and demolition, which he hopes will be completed by the end of April. 

"It's quite large and complex and it's going to take some time, but it's happening right away," he said.

Thomas adds the school district fully intends to rebuild the school — but Milicevic says she's heard otherwise. 

She says parents were told the province asked the district to put together a business model for the rebuild, including an option to make additions to existing schools. 

"When we asked [the school district] who is in charge of that, they told us it's the political will," she said. 

The Ministry of Education and Child Care said in a statement its been working closely with the school district "to best serve the needs of the community."

It said in cases of structural loss, like a fire, the province provides immediate support to find temporary school accommodations, transportation and clean-up of the former site.