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Education Minister gets close look at MBSS
The ongoing efforts to have Mount Baker Secondary School (MBSS) replaced are going to remain ongoing for the time being.
The long-needed school upgrade was front and centre yesterday when Minister of Education Mike Bernier toured Cranbrook’s MBSS with Kootenay East MLA and Minister of Energy and Mines and Minister of Core Review Bill Bennett April 18.
School District No. 5 board chair Frank Lento and school board trustees Chris Johns and Trina Ayling, as well as City of Cranbrook Mayor Lee Pratt, Coun. Tom Shypitka and high school and school district officials, joined in on the tour that showcased MBSS student talents.
From music and theatre, including a catchy tune from the upcoming Mary Poppins Wild Theatre musical, to a lengthy chat with Ktunaxa/aboriginal students and educators to a biology class where piglets were being dissected to the school’s award-winning robotics class to a drafting class using three-dimensional modelling, the tour offered a clear cross-section on MBSS students and staff achievements and successes.
Bernier is the third education minister to tour the school in the last five years (and about the sixth or seventh that Bennett has had visit) – with the desired outcome for SD5 and city officials the announcement of funds for a new school.
The minister told a brief media scrum following the tour that he is doubtful funds will be found for the project for at least five years, citing more pressing infrastructure needs in the Lower Mainland.
Making investments on infrastructure is often a problem in B.C. “when you have places like Surrey and the Lower Mainland growing so much,” said the Peace River South MLA, adding, “but at the same time we don’t want to forget about the fact that we have a lot of older schools in rural British Columbia.
“We need to be building about a dozen schools in Surrey just to keep up with the demand. There are 400 portables. And that puts the challenge back to government and the ministry; where do we put the dollars? I can tell you now it is not in our short-term five-year plan because we need to look at seismic upgrading and because of safety for students in the Lower Mainland and in other growth areas but I don’t want to leave the impression we are not looking and working with the school district for any opportunity.”
Bernier was in town on MLA Bennett’s invitation to see the school and meet with SD5 officials, Bernier said.
“Their number one priority, and it has been for quite a few years, that if we are going to be looking at investments in replacements in this area that this school is there number one. So we will continue working with them to try to make that happen,” he said.
Just like previous education ministers, Bernier concluded his tour of MBSS suitably impressed.
“It’s an older school but they’ve done an amazing job when you look inside. The diversity of classrooms; we saw a lot today. The area should be very proud of the opportunities they have for students here,” he said.
Lead image: Education Minister Mike Bernier, left, with MBSS robotics students, proudly displaying competition medals, and Kootenay East MLA Bill Bennett. Ian Cobb/e-KNOW photos
