- September public information session – Information will be posted when available.
On November 13, 2026, the Provincial Government and the District jointly announced a new elementary school will be built in New Westminster to serve the community. The Province committed $65 million to construct facility directly adjacent to Fraser River Middle School (on the south-west corner of Queens Avenue and Eight Street), with construction expected to start in fall 2026.
The as-yet unnamed school (temporarily referred to as “Simcoe Elementary”) will feature:
- Four storeys (plus an underground parking garage).
- Plans for 21 classrooms, a gym, and five kindergarten spaces.
- Enough space to accommodate 605 students.
Project goals
- Build additional elementary school spaces to mitigate the impacts of the district’s present and future capacity challenges.
- Relieve current elementary schools that are heavily oversubscribed.
- Using modern construction methodologies and climate-friendly materials that will help lower GHG emissions.
- Aim for a facility that has ample access to natural light, provides quiet spaces that encourage learning, and is climate resilient.
Construction impacts
While the district will attempt to mitigate the impacts of construction affecting the surrounding community, please expect service interruptions and noise for the duration of the project. In addition:
- The Simcoe Park tennis courts will serve as a construction staging site and will be closed to the public, beginning October 2026 until the project’s completion. This arrangement will help reduce construction traffic on Queens Avenue when construction materials are unloaded.
- Using the tennis courts is the most practical and cost-effective solution to minimize disruption to the surrounding neighbourhood.
- The Fraser River Middle School parking lot will be permanently closed.
- To address staff parking needs and to reduce the likelihood street-side parking, the district will seek alternative arrangements and share options internally with affected staff.
- The Fraser River Middle School gym will not be available to rent until further notice.
Timeline
- January 2022 – Work began on a concept plan for the new school.
- September 2022 – Project announcement and consultation with the district community. Communications sent to all families.
- October 3, October 5, 2022 – Long Range Facilities Plan consultations and discussions involving the Simcoe Elementary project. Open to all within the learning and general community.
- November 2022 – Concept plan for the new school submitted to the Ministry of Education and Child Care.
- July 2024 – School project submitted to the Province for funding consideration.
- October 2025 – Project approved by the Province.
- April 2026 – The School Naming Committee invite the district community and general public to propose names for the new school.
- Summer 2026 – Minor renovations to Fraser River Middle School to modify the gym exit in order to prepare for construction.
- Summer 2026 – Building permits expected to be issued.
- Fall 2026
- On-site preparation for construction begins.
- Public information session on September 14, 2026.
- Summer 2028 – New elementary school tentatively opens.
Gallery
- Renderings coming soon.
Questions and answers
1. Why is this school being built next to Fraser River Middle School?
Simcoe Elementary is being built adjacent to Fraser River Middle School on District-owned land. Using an existing District site avoids the delays associated with acquiring new property and obtaining Ministry approval for land acquisition.
The site is also located in the area experiencing the greatest population growth in the District, making it the most effective location to meet increasing enrolment demands. In addition, building on District-owned property allowed the project to move forward without displacing students from an existing school.
2. Was there not a better location for another elementary school?
The District evaluated two potential locations for the new elementary school: the current site adjacent to Fraser River Middle School and an alternative site along 8th Avenue.
After careful review, the current location was selected because it presented fewer construction challenges. The 8th Avenue option would have required relocating significant underground utilities and civil infrastructure, substantially increasing project costs and complexity.
3. Could have it been possible to build a larger school on site?
The District carefully explored options for a larger school, including a facility with capacity for up to 1,000 students. However, the site is highly constrained, and accommodating a larger student population would have required a significantly taller building.
Under current building code requirements—particularly those related to seismic design, fire safety, and accessibility—the cost and complexity of constructing a substantially taller school are considerably higher than when Fraser River Middle School was built. These additional costs were determined to be prohibitive and could not be supported within the available project funding.
The new Simcoe Elementary has therefore been designed to maximize the site’s potential while balancing educational needs, student safety, outdoor play space, and project affordability. At a capacity of 605 students, the District considers the site to be fully optimized.
Due to the limited size of the property and the priority placed on providing essential school spaces and outdoor learning and recreation areas, it was also not possible to include a Neighbourhood Learning Centre as part of this project.
4. Traffic is already so bad in the area already, and adding another school will only make it worse. What is being done to address this?
Managing traffic has been a key consideration throughout the planning process. As part of the project, the District worked closely with traffic consultants and the City of New Westminster’s transportation department to complete comprehensive traffic studies.
Several improvements will be implemented to support safe and efficient traffic flow, including:
- A centre median along Queens Avenue in front of both schools.
- Staggered school start and dismissal times to reduce peak traffic volumes.
- Enhanced traffic signal measures.
- The addition of crossing guards at the intersection of 9th Avenue when Simcoe Elementary opens.
These measures are intended to improve safety for students, families, and the surrounding community while helping to manage traffic in the area.
5. When will the school be complete?
The targeted completion is the Fall of 2028.
6. What safety measures can we expect to ensure student and community safety during construction?
The construction site will be fully fenced and isolated from the remainder of the property and be in compliance with all worksafe regulations as well as all City safety /traffic bylaws.
7. Why can’t you build on top of Fraser River Middle School to add capacity?
When Fraser River Middle School was designed and constructed in 2016, the building was planned to accommodate a potential future vertical addition.
Since then, however, building code requirements, particularly those related to seismic safety, have changed significantly. As a result, the original design no longer meets current code requirements for adding additional storeys, making a vertical expansion of the existing school no longer feasible.
8. I hear there are only 60 parking stalls. Why wouldn’t you build more given there will be so many staff on site?
Parking requirements for the project are determined by City bylaws. Because the school is located within a transit-oriented area, the bylaw requires the District to provide 0.5 parking stalls per staff member.
In addition, underground parking is expensive to construct, and the Ministry of Infrastructure funds parking only to the level required by municipal bylaws.
Once the project is complete, the site will have a total of 80 parking stalls, including 60 new underground stalls and the 20 existing surface stalls located behind Fraser River Middle School.
9. Why will the adjacent City tennis courts be unavailable during construction of Simcoe Elementary?
The Simcoe Elementary site is highly constrained, and the new school will occupy nearly all of the available District-owned property. As a result, there is insufficient space on-site for construction staging, material storage, and equipment.
Using the adjacent tennis courts as a temporary construction laydown area is the most practical and cost-effective solution and minimizes disruption to the surrounding neighbourhood compared with alternative options.
Establishing an off-site staging area would require construction materials and equipment to be transported twice, first to the staging location and then to the construction site, resulting in increased costs, additional truck traffic, and a longer construction schedule. It would also require more frequent deliveries to the site and increased traffic control measures, creating greater impacts for nearby residents and road users.
The use of the tennis courts is temporary and will help support a safer, more efficient construction process while reducing overall disruption to the community.
10. Why are the tennis courts being used as a staging area in the first place?
The tennis courts are being used for construction staging in an attempt to minimize the construction impacts to drop-off/pick-up at Fraser River Middle School and reduce disruptions to the neighbourhood.
11. What will happen to the tennis courts after the school’s finished?
The City of New Westminster plans to replaced the multi-sport courts once construction is complete.
12. Will the trees on the construction lot be protected?
The construction of the new elementary school will require the removal of certain trees and the protection of others. The removal of two bylaw trees (of a size meeting the City’s bylaw standard) on district property, two bylaw trees on City property (one of which is in very poor and was recommended for removal), and 13 non-bylaw trees (smaller than bylaw-protected trees – e.g scrub trees/bushes) will be needed. All other trees within the project area will be protected.
Contact
If you have questions, please contact New Westminster Schools at info@sd40.bc.ca