The Vancouver School Board (VSB) is scheduled to decide on a B.C. Hydro proposal for a power substation underneath Lord Roberts Elementary Annex in the West End’s Nelson Park.

In advance of VSB deliberations, a candidate in this year’s civic election has some words for the board. Jamie Lee Hamilton says the board may be inviting legal action if it approves the B.C. Hydro proposal, which will lead to the closure of the school during construction.

“School board has to be careful there because they could be breaking their own procedure, which says that any plan for school closures requires the public to be consulted, and that hasn’t happened,” Hamilton told the Georgia Straight in a phone interview.

Hamilton explained that if the board approves the project, it would mean that it has effectively prejudged the outcome of any future public consultation regarding the closure of the Lord Roberts annex.

“I think injunctions will be brought,” said Hamilton, who is running for the park board with the Independent Democratic Electors Alliance, or IDEA Vancouver, which has taken on the B.C. Hydro project as an issue.

As a park-board candidate, Hamilton is also concerned that portions of Nelson Park will be dug up.

The school board’s current policy on school closures involves a detailed process of engaging the community. It requires a “fair consideration of the community’s input” before a decision is made.

District staff have submitted a report included in the agenda Wednesday (June 20) of the planning and facilities committee, updating the board about the status of the B.C. Hydro proposal.

According to the report, the board is set to “make final deliberations” about the matter on June 25.

B.C. Hydro has offered to buy the space immediately below Lord Roberts annex at the end of the 2022-2023 school year for the construction of the power substation.

The proceeds of the sale will go to the construction of a future elementary school in Coal Harbour, where annex students will be relocated.

As the staff report noted, construction for the substation will take five years, from 2023 to 2028. Upon completion, a new Lord Roberts annex will be developed at the site.

VSB chair Janet Fraser was not available for an interview.

On June 7, the school district released a compilation of answers to questions relating to the project.

One of the questions ask: What will happen to the staff and students at Lord Roberts Annex if this proposal moves forward?

The district's answer: "If the proposal proceeds, the school community at Lord Roberts Annex and Elementary will be involved in discussions about accommodating any changes to their site and relocation of students and staff during construction, and as with any VSB school construction project, about the design of the new school."