The District implements the best practices for engagement by the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) standards spectrum under AP 106 – District Public Engagement.

The engagement goal is to provide an opportunity for all parties to share feedback regarding the surplus consideration and possible disposition of the QEA site for the Board’s consideration. 

Also outlined in Policy 20, the engagement process must include: 

• Consideration of future enrolment growth in the school District, including K-12, adult programs, and early learning
• Consideration of alternative community use of surplus space in school buildings and other facilities
• Fair consideration of community input, and adequate opportunity for the community to respond to the Board’s plan for the Real Property

Engagement opportunities

As per Policy 20, prior to determining future land use, the District must engage with key community members. In the month of February, the District will engage with the following groups: 

• January: reached out to the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil‐Waututh) Nations to seek their input and feedback.  
• February 15: stakeholder engagement workshop where attendees were provided a discussion guide to review beforehand. 
• February 23 – March 9: 10-minute survey, available 
• March 8: virtual information session for school communities and neighbourhood associations in the vicinity of QEA
• February 23: virtual information session for school communities and neighbourhood associations in the vicinity of QEA
  1. School communities include Queen Elizabeth Annex, Queen Elizabeth Elementary, Jules Quesnel Elementary, Kitchener Elementary, Queen Mary Elementary, Norma Rose Point Elementary, University Hill Elementary, University Hill Secondary and Byng Secondary. 
  2. Neighbourhood associations include Dunbar, West Point Grey, UBC and Arbutus Ridge areas.
  3. See the recorded session from February 23:
     
• February 23 – March 9: survey open to all groups, including the public
• February 15 – March 27: engage@vsb.bc.ca open to receive public feedback. Emails received will be forward to the Board in its entirety.  
• Month of February: reach out to other civic agencies such as the City of Vancouver to seek their feedback 
• March 8: additional virtual information session for school communities and neighbourhood associations in the vicinity of QEA
• April 5: special delegation meeting added for the Board to specifically hear about the QEA land surplus declaration consideration from the public

Within each engagement activity, participants will have an opportunity to respond to the proposal to surplus the QEA site in order to help inform the Board’s decision.

A report summarizing the engagement results will be shared with the Board, in advance of the April 11, 2023 Board meeting. Feedback received, along with the staff’s recommendation will help inform the Board’s decision about the proposed surplus declaration of the QEA site. 

QEA Educational Programming

Queen Elizabeth Annex (QEA) accommodates students in the District Choice Early French Immersion (EFI) Program. QEA is the annex to Ecole Jules Quesnel (JQ). After completing Grade 3, students from QEA move to JQ to complete their EFI program. 

Over the past several years, QEA has accommodated about 70 kindergarten to Grade 3 students.

As a District choice program, QEA is not a catchment school and is not needed to accommodate catchment enrolment. Instead, students in the area are accommodated at other nearby schools. 

On June 6, 2022, at a special Board meeting, the Vancouver School Board approved the closure of Queen Elizabeth Annex (QEA) effective June 30, 2023. 

QEA Site Information

Address: 4755 Crown Street, Vancouver
Site Area: 1.54ha
Building age: 59 years (built in 1964) 
Number of classrooms: 5 classrooms, 1 resource room, 1 library and 1 activity room 
Number of portables: 7 (including 2 coded as washroom portables) 
Operating capacity: 98 
Seismic rating: High seismic risk (category 3)
2023 BC property assessed value: $46,359,000 

Despite an overall increase in Vancouver’s population, both the birth rate and the number of school-aged children continue to decline in the city, resulting in a 26-year history of generally declining enrolment at the VSB. Although there is growth of school-aged children in certain high-density areas such as Olympic Village, the North Cambie Corridor, and Downtown core, this is offset by the declining number of school aged children in other areas in Vancouver. Several factors contribute to the enrolment decline including an ageing population, reduced birth rate, and housing unaffordability resulting in more families with school aged children moving out of the city.

Enrolment History

The chart below illustrates the trend of declining enrolment in relation to overall population growth in the District. Since 1997, the population in the City of Vancouver and UBC/UEL areas has increased by about 160,000 whereas in the same period VSB enrolment has declined by close to 9,000 students. In 10 years, by 2032, the area is expected to have an increase of around 84,000 residents whereas VSB is forecast to have approximately 43,000 students, a decrease of nearly 5,000 students from 2022 numbers.  

Enrolment Forecast 

The total District operating capacity for K-12 schools is 57,398* spaces. The District’s enrolment peaked in 1997 with close to 57,000 kindergarten to Grade 12 students. As of September 30, 2022, enrolment for the 2022-23 school year was 48,580 students, meaning that today, there are about 9800 surplus spaces available to accommodate future unanticipated enrolment growth. Additionally, a new school at Coal Harbour is expected to open in 2024, increasing the District’s operating capacity further. As the graph illustrates below, the impact of development and increasing population has not offset the decline in school aged children (5-17 years old), and hence the decline in enrolment. 

*Excludes Carleton Elementary and Garibaldi Annex, neither of which accommodate students.