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Keating Elementery earthquake upgrades complete

Seismic upgrades help better protect students in the event of an earthquake.
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After the first announcement Keating would get seismic upgrades in January 2018, B.C. Education Minister Rob Fleming read B.J. Novak’s children’s book ‘The Book With No Pictures’ to students. (Black Press Media file photo)

Seismic upgrades and a 100 seat expansion are complete at Keating Elementary in Saanichton.

“Our government is working hard to give every student in B.C. a seismically safe place to go to school, and I’m excited to know that’s now the case for more students at Keating Elementary,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Education. “With a safe learning environment and room for 100 more students, Keating Elementary is an improved school that will benefit the community for years to come.”

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Other schools to have these upgrades across Greater Victoria include Campus View Elementary, Braefoot Elementary, Children’s Development Centre, and Victoria high school. Cedar Hill and Shoreline middle schools have also been approved for seismic upgrades.

“With this investment, Keating Elementary is safe and now has the capacity needed to serve students and families in the community for years to come,” said Victoria Martin, chair, Saanich Board of Education.

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The Seismic Mitigation Program has been accelerated in attempts to make all B.C. students are attending safe schools as soon as possible. By the end of these projects, more than 2,000 seats will be safe for Greater Victoria students by 2022.

Budget 2019 shows $2.7 billion set aside for school capital investments, including $791 million for seismic upgrades at high-risk schools throughout British Columbia.


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