St. James School Legacy Foundation St. James has served generations of children. Carrying that work forward requires a lasting home, and people willing to help make it possible.
Catholic education in Vernon will not survive without intervention. A school can draw strength from its history, but a building cannot serve indefinitely. Decisions about the next home must be made while there is still a school to carry forward.
This is an existing community of children, families and educators. A new campus would carry its Catholic mission into a setting planned for the work of teaching, learning and growing together.
The question of the school’s future has been considered for many years. Planning in 2010 connected it to a wider vision of school and parish life. In 2021, a formal comparison returned to the practical choices: renovate, rebuild or move to a new site.
The 2021 study compared three alternatives. Its recommendation considered the school day as well as the building itself.
A complete renovation would keep St. James in its present location. The committee identified uncertainty about the work an existing structure might require to meet current building standards, and the possibility of unexpected costs.
Renovation would also need a plan for teaching children while the work took place. The location could stay the same; the school’s routines would still face disruption.
A replacement building could offer purpose-designed learning spaces while retaining the Vernon location. Demolition and construction, however, would require temporary arrangements for students and staff.
The committee’s comparison recognised that finding and operating a temporary school would be a substantial part of this option, beyond the replacement building itself.
A separate site would allow the present school to keep operating while its new home was built. The committee also saw opportunities for outdoor play, purpose-designed learning spaces and a closer connection with the church.
This became the committee’s preferred direction. A new site brings its own responsibilities, including access, services and site agreements. The choice needs to work for families and for the school’s long-term finances.
The appeal of the proposed Coldstream campus is both practical and Catholic. It offers the opportunity to plan the school as a whole, with learning spaces and outdoor areas beside an existing parish church.
Nearness could make the relationship between school and parish more tangible: children seeing a community at prayer, families sharing in parish life and generations meeting around a common faith.
That relationship will need thoughtful arrangements for worship, access and shared use. Its value lies in the life it can support.
Explore the proposed campusThe purpose is a school that can be built responsibly and serve well for generations. Several parts of the plan must work together.
The school’s needs must guide the design: the children it will serve, the spaces that support their learning and the place of Catholic formation in school life. The final campus programme is still being developed. Future possibilities need to be considered without losing sight of the school’s immediate purpose.
Continuity is a central reason for pursuing a separate site. The aim is to allow students and teachers to remain in their current school during construction, then move into a completed new home.
A school day depends on safe arrivals, pedestrian routes, access for buses and cars, and reliable services. The site work must bring these needs together with parish access, parking and outdoor spaces.
The cost of construction is only part of the responsibility. The plan must also account for running and maintaining the school after opening. Design, funding and the operating budget need to be considered together, so that a new building strengthens the mission it exists to serve.
The proposal moved into municipal review in 2024. An April 2025 open house then brought early plans and campus illustrations to the community, making the proposed relationship between the school and church easier to see.
Coldstream Council has approved the project’s Official Community Plan amendment and rezoning application. That land-use milestone advances the proposed direction. Further technical work and permits are required before building can begin.
The next stage concerns the final design, site arrangements and funding plan. The current fundraising ask is $25 million, with construction planned to begin in 2030 and the school planned to open in 2033.
Read the latest updateA lasting home for Catholic education calls for a substantial commitment. The current fundraising ask is $25 million to help bring the new campus into being.
The planned opening in 2033 would coincide with the bimillennial celebration of the Redemption: two thousand years of the Passion, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. A new home for Catholic education would mark that year with a commitment to the generations who will follow.
The fundraising ask is the current amount being sought. The final project cost and funding plan are still being developed. The planned dates depend on design, site arrangements, further permits and funding.
Discuss a gift to the projectGenerosity deserves a clear account of what it will make possible. These are the questions at the heart of the next stage.
The project seeks a new home for St. James School. The existing school serves Kindergarten to Grade 7. The final campus programme and any future expansion have not been settled.
Yes. The 2021 study compared renovating the existing school, replacing it on the same site and building beside Our Lady of the Valley Church. The committee preferred the new site for its educational potential, parish relationship and continuity during construction. Its historical recommendation provides the reasoning behind today’s direction; current design and financial work must establish how to carry it forward responsibly.
The current fundraising ask is $25 million. The final project cost and funding plan are still being developed; the ask states the amount currently being sought for the project.
Construction is planned to begin in 2030, with the school planned to open in 2033, the bimillennial celebration of the Redemption through the Passion, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. These planned dates depend on design, site arrangements, further permits and funding.
A significant gift calls for a personal conversation and a clear understanding of the project, the recipient of the gift, its intended use and how progress will be reported. Begin a conversation with the team about the part you would like to play.