Expanding UBC’s presence to Surrey
The University of British Columbia is expanding its presence south of the Fraser River with the $70-million purchase of a property in Surrey.
UBC Properties Trust has acquired a 135,000-square-foot property—currently home to the Grace Hanin Community Church—at the intersection of King George Boulevard and Fraser Highway. The site, which is located close to SkyTrain, Surrey Memorial Hospital and other community amenities, is anticipated to be a combination of residential and commercial space which will generate revenue to enable the construction of dedicated academic facilities.
The acquisition of the Surrey site supports the achievement of a key commitment in UBC’s strategic plan to work with partners on the development of the university’s regional presence, as well as providing an exciting opportunity to improve access to post-secondary education in the Fraser region.The acquisition of the Surrey site supports the achievement of a key commitment in UBC’s strategic plan to work with partners on the development of the university’s regional presence, as well as providing an exciting opportunity to improve access to post-secondary education in the Fraser region.
UBC already has a significant presence south of the Fraser, with nearly 3,500 students, 750 faculty and staff, and thousands of alumni who call Surrey home. The university has numerous partnerships within the city of Surrey and other regional partners around urban design, sustainability, health technology and innovation, data science, traffic safety, K-12 education, immigrant settlement and more.
Together with Fraser Health, First Nations Health Authority and the Government of B.C., UBC trains health students and medical residents in the Fraser region. Every year, more than 4,900 health student and medical resident rotations take place in hospitals, primary care settings and clinics across the Fraser, where learners train alongside world-class clinical faculty in areas such as family practice, emergency medicine, midwifery and other specializations. About 200 students in nursing also undertake their training in Fraser Health, while about 100 pharmaceutical science students take part in placements at 57 sites in the Fraser region.
