Lord Roberts Annex PAC New Coal Harbour School Q&A
(Update October 2025)

The following is a compilation of information gathered by the Lord Roberts Annex PAC, including meetings with Vancouver School Board (VSB) & BC Hydro on February 22, 2024 and Vancouver Park Board & VSB on March 8, 2024, October 17, 2024, April 17, 2025, and other communications.

1. Timing

Q: When will the new school open?
 A: This project is jointly funded by VSB and the City of Vancouver, with the delivery of the project being led by the City. As communicated to families, the City of Vancouver has informed the District that it is no longer confident the new school building will be ready for occupancy by fall 2025. The City’s goal is for the school to be complete and ready for students for the start of the 2026-2027 school year, while aiming for construction completion in the spring. Should completion occur sooner, we would move students in at the earliest feasible time. (Update October 2025)

 Interim plan and next steps   

While awaiting the new school's completion, students assigned to the school will be temporarily placed at Roberts Annex with a few classes placed at Roberts Elementary, ensuring continuity in their education. The District has planned student placements to maximize available space, minimize disruptions and ensure classroom stability.  

The 10 classes that will eventually be at the new school at Coal Harbour will be organized as follows:  

• 7 classes will be temporarily located at Roberts Annex, using all classrooms currently in the school 
• 3 classes will be temporarily located at Roberts  

Q: The building is mixed-use (school, housing, daycare). Will phased occupancy be a possible (e.g. school opens before housing)?
A: The architect and contractor have advised that phased occupancy is likely not possible.

2. Grades/Catchment/Staffing

Q: Are there any anticipated changes to the catchment boundaries? (Update September 2025)
A: The District is updating the catchment boundaries in the downtown area to plan for future years. More information here: Downtown catchment review (VSB)

3. New School Supports

Q: What school supports (e.g., new furniture, equipment) will be provided to the New Coal Harbour School? What will not be provided and would require fundraising efforts?
A: School will be equipped to VSB district standards. As for fundraising, the PAC will work with administrators and staff to determine what additional items may be needed. As we are moving from K-3 to a K-7 school, the library materials may be a consideration. There will be library funding from the VSB, but the PAC could look at raising funds to supplement the VSB funding.

Q: Are there plans or layouts of the new Coal Harbour Elementary available?
A: More information on the new school is available here. Drawings of the new school are available here. No new renderings or pictures are available.

4. New Coal Harbour School Playground and Outdoor Area

The original Coal Harbour Park playground equipment is sized for much younger children (approx. 2-6 years age) and the existing play surface is degraded and appears at end of life. The PAC has advocated for age-appropriate K-7 playground equipment for the new Coal Harbour school.

Q:  Is a playground replacement planned?
A: The Park Board is planning a playground renewal in Coal Harbour Park in the summer of 2026.  The VSB has committed $195,000 for the playground upgrade and communication on the design, engagement and overall process will be communicated. (Update October 2025)

VSB Update July 2025: This work is actively advancing with the Park Board – who will be the lead on this project. They are mapping a timeline that anticipates delivery in summer 2026 and will be engaging with the VSB and the PAC to inform the design. Ensuring that this work does not interfere with the delivery of the overall school is fundamental. When this process is formally in place and ready to launch, we will provide a fulsome update.

Q: Will the playground at Coal Harbour Park serve the dual purpose of playground for the New School at Coal Harbour, while remaining a Park Board-owned public park space, accessible by the public? Or will it be for school use only during school hours?
A: The park will remain a park board asset, and will have dual use by school and public.

Q: What is the anticipated overall budget for the project?
A:  VSB is working with Vancouver Park Board to determine cost estimates. It is unknown at this time when this information will be available and how the project will be managed.

Q: The PAC asked for details on a plan for physical security and separation measures to promote safety and security for the children at the New Coal Harbour School when playing outdoors.
A: The attached plan is a diagram of the proposed improvements to the railings and the additional fence. The fence standard and exact extent is being resolved with the Park Board. However, this generally shows where to expect improved enclosure to better delineate the space and reduce supervision risks. Park Fencing Railing (Update July 2025)

Q: Will there be opportunities for shared use of the Coal Harbour Community Centre, given the limited open space and outdoor play areas?
A: The Vancouver Park Board runs the Community Centre. There is not current planning between VSB and Vancouver Park Board for shared use of the Community Centre.

Q: Can the VSB share the plans for the defined areas within the Coal Harbour Park that will be available for the students use during school hours? (New September 2025)
A: See attached plan. This shows the approximate area of useable space within the park. The functional boundaries and daily operation for the school will be determined by administrators once the school is occupied and the use of the space by students is observed. Play Area Extents Plan

Q: The existing preschool playground surface is heavily deteriorated in areas, and half of play area has undergone use for construction staging. Given there will not be a new playground for at least one school year following the opening of the school in Fall 2025, are their plans for the playground surfacing be replaced? (New January 2025)
A: VSB acknowledge that the playground surface is in poor condition. We are collaborating with the Park Board to explore different options for repairing it before the school reopens.

5. Childcare, Before and After School Care

Q: Will the VSOCC childcare offer priority spaces to siblings of students enrolled in the new school? (This was not done at Lord Nelson School and daycare in East Vancouver when the new school was built and the daycare had children from out of catchment, while the siblings of the school kids didn’t get in.)
A: VSOCC has been appointed as operator for the early years program. Construction is not expected to be completed until 2025.  Once a more definitive completion date is confirmed VSOCC will establish and communicate enrollment priorities.

Q: Will the YMCA before and after school care program offer priority to students currently enrolled in before and after care at Nelson Park YMCA (or Lord Roberts YMCA)?
A: Yes, they will. Further they will only be offering spaces to children enrolled at the Coal Harbour School. Families are welcome to join their waitlist now. If there are more families on the list than spaces, they will offer via lottery.

Q: Currently the Coal Harbour Community Center provides before care and after care for Lord Roberts Elementary school only. Will Coal Harbour Elementary be provided special registration for Coal Harbour students and how will parents be notified on registering their children for the before and after care? Will this also be provided before the move to the new school is made? For those who live in Coal Harbour will there be special registration priority to avoid us having to pick up and drop off our kids at Gordon Neighborhood House or West End Community Center?
A: For operational purposes, the Coal Harbour Community Center will not be expanding to the new school. Sometime ago, there was a thought to have the Coal Harbour program service the new Coal Harbour school, however since the program is full and continues to stay full, the Community Center has decided not to. If the program were to expand in size (that may be an option in the future) but currently there is no plan for expansion. The childcare and afterschool care programs are independent of the VSB work. VSB will make best effort to align school opening timelines with childcare opening timelines.

6. Transportation Safety

Q: Parents of students living in the West End have expressed safety concerns about students having to cross several busy streets (Robson, Alberni, Georgia, Pender) to access the new school. While we’ve seen engagement regarding the Bute Street Upgrades, what are planned improvements to ensure the safety of students walking, biking, or using other active transportation to access the new school? Will these planned upgrades be complete in advance of the opening date for the new school?
A: It is encouraged that any concerns from families about traveling to the new school, be sent to: schoolactivetravel@vancouver.ca

Can VSB please provide information/updates? (Update October 2025)
A: The City of Vancouver is planning to install flashing beacons and curb bulges at both Alberni & Broughton and Alberni & Jervis to improve pedestrian safety and comfort. See attached letter from the City. There are also other upgrades the City is planning to improve safety for people walking or biking to and from the new school.

Walking 

The City has initiated four signal upgrades and is proposing raised crosswalks in the vicinity of the new school. The four signal upgrades are designed to:

1. prioritize pedestrian movement across busier streets; and/or 
2. give people more time to cross.

Details are contained in the table below:

A leading pedestrian interval is when pedestrians can enter the crosswalk before vehicles do. In other words, the “walk” signal comes on a few seconds before the “green light” does for vehicles. This allows pedestrians to better establish their presence in the crosswalk before vehicles can turn. This approach reduces the likelihood of conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians. 

A slower walking speed means, simply, that the “walk” signal is shown for a longer period. This gives more time for slow walkers or larger groups to cross the street. 

The raised crosswalks at W Hastings St at Broughton S will help by:

• making people crossing the street more visible to drivers, because they are raised up from the roadway; and 
• encouraging motorists to slow down before they drive through the crosswalk, because the raised crosswalk acts like a speed hump.

 The raised crosswalk next to the school is scheduled to be constructed before the school opens in September 2025.

Biking

The City is proposing a protected bike route between Hornby Street and the Coal Harbour Seawall, connecting the new school to the city’s All Ages and Abilities (AAA) active transportation network. This will provide a 0.9 km extension of the existing two-way protected bike lane along Dunsmuir and Melville Streets and passing the new school via W Hastings and Broughton Streets.

Further details can be found on board 7 of the Dunsmuir/Melville Street Upgrades information boards.

In addition to protected lanes, the design proposes additional signal upgrades at various intersections along the route. These include protected turn phases for motor vehicles. Protected turn phases are when vehicles are free to turn across the bike lane, without coming into contact with people cycling or walking across the street. In other words, people walking and cycling have a dedicated window (or, “phase”) to cross, which is separate from turning drivers. These protected turn phases help reduce the likelihood of conflicts between vehicles turning and people walking or cycling.

The bike lanes next to the school are scheduled to be constructed before the school opens in September 2026.

7. Lord Roberts Annex Replacement School

Q: What is the VSB's concrete commitment to building a school on the Annex site upon completion of the Hydro Project?
A: Capital funding for the replacement school at the Annex site is approved.

Q: When is will the Hydro Project at Nelson Park require removal of the Lord Roberts Annex playground?
A: BC Hydro project at the Lord Roberts Annex site isn’t scheduled to impact the playground until late 2027, so the playground is to remain open to the community until then.

Q: What is the plan for the ensuring safety of users when the school is no longer in use, but playground remains available? (New January 2025)
A: The VSB will continue with grounds maintenance when the school is not in session. Playground equipment will be regularly inspected. The school will also be secured from vandalism.