On May 26, 2021, the Board of Education approved the Long Range Facilities Plan (LRFP). The district is currently in the process of instituting a School Site Acquisition Charge (SSAC) that would apply to the City of Nanaimo, towns of Ladysmith and Lantzville and the regional districts of Nanaimo and Cowichan Valley as well as Islands Trust.
The LRFP’s Recommendation #2 is to institute a School Site Acquisition Charge (SSAC):
The Local Government Act and School Act allow a district to request that a municipality or regional district institute a development charge to go towards the purchase of future school sites in areas of anticipated growth. Find out more in the Ministry guidance document. Given the region’s anticipated expansion, there are areas that new schools may be required including Ladysmith and parts of Nanaimo. Currently there is no such charge and NLPS is missing out on hundreds of thousands of dollars to support land acquisition.
SSAC Bylaw No. 2021/22-1 (amended April 27, 2022)
Based on the enrolment projections below and the current capacity deficit already in existence in the area, we foresee needing to add additional capacity to serve students in 2031.
