
SOUND OFF: Everyone deserves a place to play
EVERY CHILD DESERVES A SAFE, accessible place to play.
For too long, parents across B.C. had to fundraise to pay for new playground equipment at their children’s school. Not only does fundraising cost our families valuable time, but some communities have more capacity to raise funds than others, creating inequality. Something as fundamental as a safe playground should never be dependent on a community’s ability to fundraise, but that was the reality for years under the previous government.
When New Democrats formed government, we worked to lift that burden off of parents. We created a new fund to invest at least $5 million ever year to build new playgrounds at B.C.’s elementary schools. Since then, we’ve funded over 231 new school playgrounds, benefitting more than 57,000 students.
In the Kamloops-Thompson school district, we’ve funded new playgrounds at eight elementary schools, meaning well over one thousand students are playing on safe, modern equipment. This includes Summit, Aberdeen, RJ Clemitson, Westmount, Vavenby and the École Collines D’Or, now operated by the Conseil Scolaire Francophone. Planning for new accessible playgrounds is also underway at Heffley Creek and Ralph Bell, which is slated to reopen to students in September.