Victoria City Council Unanimously Advances the GNS Pemberton Woods Campus Renewal

On Thursday, April 9, 2026, Victoria City Council’s Committee of the Whole voted unanimously to advance the rezoning application for the Pemberton Woods (PW) Campus Renewal. For our students, parents, faculty, staff and neighbours, this milestone reflects years of perseverance and partnership.

From the beginning of this project in 2023, we chose the ‘long road’. By investing in a full year of community engagement, and remaining committed to transparency and collaboration, we have developed a plan which is now being recognized as a model of consensus building and an example for other developments to follow.

A Collective Effort

Getting to this point has been a collaborative journey. Thank you to our school community—students, parents, faculty, staff and alumni for your input, feedback and vision. We are equally grateful to the Fairfield Gonzales community and our neighbours for their input and partnership. We are also grateful for the City's thorough and thoughtful review of this once-in-a-generation plan that has set us up to deliver a project that will benefit our students, the neighbourhood and the City of Victoria.

What's Next?

Now that rezoning has been recommended for approval, GNS will transition into the next stages of the process:

• finalizing the zoning bylaws,

• completing the Master Development Agreement with the City, and then

• preparing detailed design and Development Permit applications for Phase One.

Each of these steps takes time, and we want to get them right.

We are not yet in a position to confirm construction start dates, and we won't do so until we have certainty. What we can say is that the project is moving forward with real momentum, and GNS is committed to keeping students, families, staff and neighbours informed as key milestones are reached. When construction does begin, it will be carefully sequenced so that the school remains fully operational, learning is uninterrupted, and neighbourhood disruption is managed as thoughtfully as possible.

How Will GNS Share Project Updates?

For now, project updates will continue to be posted here, and shared by email to those who have subscribed to updates. We invite you to bring questions or comments to our Community Engagement Specialist at neighbours@mygns.ca. We believe that being a good neighbour requires good communication. We are committed to continued, meaningful contact with all members of our community, and to transparency as we move through next steps and beyond.

Questions? Contact Tamara Slobogean at tslobogean@mygns.ca or 250.370.6842.