Article content

A developer has announced plans to replace the former Stardust roller rink building in Surrey city centre with a $200-million, 50-storey education centre.

The 550,000-square-foot “GEC Education Mega Center” project, subject to city approval, is a partnership between developer WestStone Group and CIBT Education Group (rendering pictured).

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or 50-storey education centre proposed for former Surrey Stardust roller rink site Back to video

It would cater to international students.

“International student enrolment across British Columbia has been growing at an astonishing rate of 25 per cent since 2014, generating over $5 billion in gross income for the province,” said CIBT Education Group President and CEO Toby Chu.

“This is despite the fact that B.C. not only has some of the most expensive real estate in the country but also vacancy rates of 0.3 per cent forcing students to live in expensive buildings that aren’t necessarily close in proximity to their school,” he added.

CIBT is an “education management company focused on the global market since 1994,” according to a release. It owns and operates a network of business, technical and language colleges in North America and Asia, such as Sprott Shaw College, offering programs in 12 countries with campuses, recruitment offices and training centres enrolling more than 8,000 students a year.