Article content continued

BC NDP Leader John Horgan is betting his political future that it will be the No. 1 issue for voters in the campaign, as he publicly predicted this month.

If that’s true, political analysts say the BC Liberals have much to fear from angry parents who have watched classroom conditions deteriorate and schools close.

Yet the threat of political backlash over education grievances is nothing new. And it’s largely failed to materialize on voting day or seriously threaten four consecutive elected majority BC Liberal governments. The question remains: Will this election be any different?

Coquitlam mother Diane Currie Sam has always voted, but until now has never become politically active.

It was the seismic issue that got her started down the path of political activism. She has two sons, and one of her son’s school is in the highest-risk category but not getting funded for upgrades.

“When I found out, I had this feeling of outrage,” she said. “I felt like I got punched in the gut.”

Currie Sam takes issue with the fact that school boards have to make “business cases” for schools to get upgraded. When the province got rid of the 95-per-cent utilization target, it said districts would still have to justify their actions to build new schools or expand existing ones, based on the numbers of students.

“When they ask us to make a business case as to why our kids should survive in an earthquake, I think people are kind of done with that,” Currie Sam said. “That philosophy is so appalling to me and I hope and believe there will be a backlash against that.”