The Cowichan Valley Regional District said a decision to sell the former Koksilah Elementary School to a private party is concerning and raises serious questions.
The district said they’ve expressed interest to the province and School District 79 to keep the facility for community use, and that the sale sets the community back significantly.
“The decision represents a significant setback for regional efforts to address critical housing and shelter needs and after years of raising the profile of desperate servicing needs in the Cowichan Valley, the community interests have been completely ignored,” the district said.
Board chair Kate Segall said the district was not provided accurate information, despite repeated attempts to spark interest.
“At no point were we informed the sale was imminent,” Segall said. “In fact, as recently as 2025, we were advised that the site remained under lease and was not available. No formal response was ever provided to our repeated expressions of interest.
“Yet, the property was sold without meaning engagement and without acknowledgement of the substantial public-interest work underway.”
The CVRD drafted a letter to the province, where Segall asked premier David Eby to intervene and ensure a transparent explanation to the decision making, all records out-lining how the sale was done and to review whether the School District met its obligations.
She said the location of the school is of significant importance to address key issues in the community, and a review is the only way to ensure this transaction is in the best interest of the region.
“The Koksilah site has long been recognized as a critical component of the region’s coordinated strategy to address homelessness, housing instability and the urgent need for permanent emergency shelter,” she said. “Our board believes a full and impartial review of the disposition process is the only way to ensure the community’s interests are upheld, and without the province’s swift intervention, the board is determined to seek judicial review of the matter.”
