Money for new West Shore high schools isnB次元官网网址檛 in the B次元官网网址渟tatus quoB次元官网网址� provincial budget tabled Tuesday, but officials are pressing for funding to be approved this year.

Leading into budget debates, Maurine Karagianis, MLA for Esquimalt-Royal Roads and John Horgan, MLA for Juan de Fuca met with Ministry of Education staffers two weeks ago to re-state the case for the long-awaited $97 million project.

A cornerstone of the plan involves selling the current Belmont secondary property on Jacklin Road to chip in a significant portion of the capital costs. The Sooke School District wants to build a new Belmont at the old Glen Lake elementary site and in Royal Bay in Colwood.

Last year Education Minister Margaret MacDiarmid told a legislative finance committee the Belmont replacement plan would be considered in the 2011-12 ministry budget.

B次元官网网址淢inistry staff says itB次元官网网址檚 a great business case, they say it is a high priority,B次元官网网址� Karagianis said. B次元官网网址淏ut we probably wonB次元官网网址檛 know what is coming on government spending until July.B次元官网网址�

Horgan said pokerfaced Ministry of Education officials gave nothing away, other than noting the business plan is sound and innovative.

New high schools will allow the district to re-configure its grades, freeing space in elementary schools for full-day kindergarten and expected increases in elementary-aged kids.

B次元官网网址淭hose (elementary) kids will need somewhere to move to,B次元官网网址� Horgan said Wednesday. B次元官网网址淲e need new high schools soon, or we will be in crisis.B次元官网网址�

Sooke School District officials were scheduled to meet with ministry of education officials on Thursday to press their case for funding.

Assistant superintendent Ron Warder said the school district has done all it can with the ministry B次元官网网址� the decision to commit funding just needs to be made.

B次元官网网址淭he government just needs to come up with the money,B次元官网网址� Warder said. B次元官网网址淚t could be this year, it could be next year. We wait with eager anticipation.B次元官网网址�

With 19 new classrooms being built onto elementary schools and eight modular classrooms on route, the district has now has some wiggle room for student space, although not for long.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e got a bit of time we didnB次元官网网址檛 have before,B次元官网网址� Warder said. B次元官网网址淏ut our long-term enrolment projections are staggering. We are already 200 students ahead of what was predicted for this year.B次元官网网址�

Budget reaction

A provincial budget with new capital projects is expected some weeks or months after a new B.C. Liberal leaders is selected on Feb. 26.

Horgan suspects the new premier might delay tabling a budget until the NDP selects its new leader on April 17.

B次元官网网址淭he government needs to demonstrate itB次元官网网址檚 not drifting for a full year,B次元官网网址� Horgan said. B次元官网网址淲e need a centre of government. If we delay (a budget) into April or May, that would be appalling and evident the Liberals have lost their way and are not helping anybody.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e got a budget about nothing other than $900 million in funding for the new leader.B次元官网网址�

Karagianis called the current budget B次元官网网址渓acklusterB次元官网网址� and says it will leave West Shore social program providers scrambling for cash.

B次元官网网址淎 lot of family programs will be reduced or will disappear,B次元官网网址� Karagianis said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a great disappointment to see programs at risk.B次元官网网址�

Finance Minister Colin Hansen presented a budget he called B次元官网网址渟tatus quoB次元官网网址� and that he described as leaving a recovering B.C. economy for the next premier.

It will fall to him or her to decide if carbon taxes will continue to rise and small business taxes will be eliminated next year as planned. But the most significant decision of 2011 will be made by voters directly B次元官网网址� to keep the harmonized sales tax or go back to the old provincial sales tax.

In his budget speech to the legislature Tuesday, Hansen warned of B次元官网网址渕ajor implicationsB次元官网网址� that go beyond the return of $1.6 billion in transition funds to the federal government.

B次元官网网址淭he fact is, no province has ever backed out of the HST after implementation,B次元官网网址� Hansen said. B次元官网网址淏eing first would put us into uncharted waters.B次元官网网址�

Horgan said the Liberals have no contingency plan in place should people vote to repeal on the HST.

B次元官网网址淚 think (the Liberals) will use that as a scare tactic in the campaign leading to the referendum,B次元官网网址� Horgan said. B次元官网网址淚 think it will be a B次元官网网址渘oB次元官网网址� vote (on keeping the HST). IB次元官网网址檓 confident people will say no.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址攚ith files from Tom Fletcher

editor@goldstreamgazette.com