By Dylana Milobar

Kamloops realtors asking education ministry for capital funding solution

Mar 2, 2019 | 9:40 AM

KAMLOOPS — With some School District 73 facilities stuffed to the rafters with students, local realtors are reaching out to the BC Government to find a solution. 

President of the Kamloops and District Real Estate Association, Doren Quinton says, they decided to pen a letter to the Minister of Education, Rob Fleming, because the overcrowing in local schools has gotten out of hand.

“Well we have a little bit of a crisis in Kamloops with lack of funding for our school system. The government announced over a billion dollars in capital funding over the last few years. Zero of that has come to School District 73.”

While the school district has submitted a project definition report to the Ministry of Education for Valleyview Secondary, Quinton says the space issues are not limited to just one school.

“I know Valleyview Secondary is at 200 per cent capacity. There are several other schools in that range as well,” He explains, “So we’d like to see some capital funding from the government to keep our education system in line with other areas of the province.”

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As for why the real estate sector would have an interest in school funding, Quinton says an overcrowded school system can actually impact the real estate market. 

“Certainly has an impact with buyers, particularly those coming from other areas who are looking for good schools for their children,” He says, “We have fantastic schools, but when they see the number of portables on the lot and see overcrowding, certainly that’s a concern for them.”

In fact, Quinton says, “I know there have been lots of buyers who shy away from buying in Kamloops because of a lack of capital additions for the school district and the overcrowding.”

To read the full letter, click here.