Rebuild the Carihi Gym and A-Wing.
Fire destroyed the gymnasium and A-Wing in November 2024. More than 17 months later, the Province has not approved a Treasury Board submission, has not disclosed a project cost, and has not set an occupancy date. Approximately 922 students continue to be impacted by the loss of these spaces.
Where This Stands Today.
Confirm Treasury Board approval and funding for the rebuild of the Carihi Secondary gymnasium and A-Wing in the 2026–27 capital cycle, and commit to delivering it as quickly as possible, so that students do not lose another school year without a gym.
What's Happening?
On November 21, 2024, a fire destroyed the A-Wing at Carihi Secondary School, including the gymnasium, drama room, teaching kitchen, multi-purpose room, and adjacent spaces. The cause was accidental and confirmed by investigation in December 2024.
Seventeen months later, the Province has acknowledged the rebuild but has not released a Treasury Board funding commitment, a confirmed project budget, or a target occupancy date. The District has submitted its Project Request and the Ministry has acknowledged it. The decision now sits at Treasury Board.
Fire crews responded to 350 Dogwood Road the night of November 21, 2024. The blaze destroyed the A-Wing: the main competition gym, PE teaching space, drama and stage, teaching kitchen, band room, multi-purpose room, and adjacent classrooms.
The investigation, completed in December 2024, found the cause to be accidental: spontaneous combustion involving cooking oils on fabrics, residual heat after laundering, and inadequate ventilation. There was no criminal cause and no negligence finding.
Framing note: the fire was an accident, so there is no one to blame. That removes a common political excuse for delay. The only remaining question is how quickly the Province chooses to act.
A four-year high school window is short and formative. At the current pace, students will graduate having spent their entire high school career without a functioning gymnasium, drama space, or central assembly room. They will also miss the extracurricular opportunities that are meant to define adolescence.
Lost time in physical education, performing arts, and community gathering cannot be recovered. Every additional month of delay extends the gap for students already in school today.
It Can Be Done in 24 Months. It Has Been.
Hazel Trembath Elementary
Port Coquitlam · School District 43
- FireOctober 2023
- Approval~24 months later
- Funding~C$39M
- StatusFunded · in development
- Target openingDecember 2027
Carihi Secondary
Campbell River · School District 72
- FireNov 21, 2024
- Approval17+ months pending
- FundingNot disclosed
- StatusPending Treasury Board
- Target openingNot set
What Was Lost in the Fire
What This Looks Like, Day to Day
From Parents and Students
When the fire happened, my boys were only three months into Grade 9, and I’ll never forget that day. Since then, they’ve been constantly displaced: travelling to Robron for gym, holding band practices at Phoenix and now in a portable, doing Ignite off-site, and missing out on meaningful school experiences like in-person assemblies and band performances. For students who aren’t involved in competitive sports, the loss of intramurals and casual lunchtime activities has been especially hard. Instead of being active and connected, too many kids are spending breaks indoors on their phones. At the current pace, my boys could go their entire four years of high school without ever having a real gym experience. That is simply not acceptable.
Timeline
Three Ways to Help.
Capital decisions track sustained, organised public pressure. Every signature, letter, and meeting raises the political cost of inaction, until the decision is made.
Sign the Petition
Add your name on Change.org. Signatures are forwarded to the Minister of Infrastructure, the Minister of Finance (Treasury Board Chair), the MLA for North Island, and the SD72 board.
Sign on Change.org ↗Write a Letter
A personalised letter that names a child, a club, or a specific impact counts as a unique constituent contact. Form letters get counted as one signature; personal letters get a response.
Letter template · Minister of Infrastructure
Show Up
SD72 public board meetings are open to anyone in the community. Showing up, and bringing neighbours, coaches, and parents, keeps Carihi on the agenda.
Recent Coverage
FAQ
Contact the Campaign
Have a question, a story to share, or an offer of support? Send a note and a Carihi PAC volunteer will get back to you.