At its public board meeting on June 25, 2018, trustees of the Vancouver School Board approved moving forward with a deal to sell BC Hydro a subsurface parcel beneath the Lord Roberts Annex site in the West End for development of an underground substation.

BC Hydro approached VSB to revisit their proposal to build a new underground substation at the Lord Roberts Annex property in the West End.  

With this agreement, BC Hydro is buying rights at fair market value to VSB to build the underground substation. The school district retains all rights to the property above ground.

VSB, working with the City of Vancouver expects to have a new school in Coal Harbour ready by 2023 to temporarily house Lord Roberts Annex students while construction of the substation and replacement school built on the annex site take place.

BC Hydro has said that they need a new substation in the West End to ensure that residents continue to receive reliable power as the electricity system in downtown Vancouver is aging.

View VSB's news release about the board approving the proposal. (June 25, 2018)

View VSB's FAQ on the BC Hydro proposal (June 7, 2018).

View VSB's timeline for consultations and decision on the Hydro proposal.

“We thank our stakeholders and the West End community for their interest and input on this proposal and I also thank our Board of Trustees for their due diligence in reviewing the proposal materials and asking many questions,” says Janet Fraser, Chair of the Vancouver Board of Education. “Having considered all relevant factors the Board has now voted to move forward with this project. The VSB will continue to consult and work with our stakeholders and the West End community as the timeline for this project unfolds.”  

To learn more about BC Hydro’s proposal, visit www.bchydro.com/westendsub 

View the news release from VSB and BC Hydro announcing the 2018 proposal (April 12, 2018).

VIew the Copes report, an independent assesment of the risks on human health commissioned by VSB, as updated May 31, 2018.

Some background from the 2017 proposal to VSB from BC Hydro: 

• View the report of March 24, 2017 to VSB’s Planning and Facilities Committee (Committee II) on the BC Hydro SEED proposal
• View a letter from Dr. Patricia Daly, vice-president, public health and chief medical health officer, Vancouver Coastal Health