ABBOTSFORD, B.C. – The Conservative Party of BC is accusing the Eby NDP of massively overpaying for land in Abbotsford bought for a future French-language school, pointing to a 12-acre parcel that sold for $1.9 million in 2021 and was later acquired with $26 million in provincial funding.
In a release issued Tuesday headlined “Eby NDP Paid $24.6 Million for Land Worth $10 Million,” the Conservatives say the property at 3044 Pratt Street is worth about $10 million, and that the former owner says most of it is unbuildable.
The Province announced on September 3, 2025 that it had provided $26 million for the Abbotsford site acquisition, in the city’s Ten Oaks neighbourhood, and $25 million for a site in Victoria West, both for future Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique (CSF) schools. At the time, Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma said francophone families deserve schools that reflect and support their language and culture.
“We all agree on the need to build schools, but it appears that the Eby NDP paid 150% above market price for a parcel the former owner says is mostly unbuildable,” said Darryl Kropp, the Conservative candidate in Abbotsford-Mission. “Is this yet another example of David Eby being irresponsible with British Columbians’ tax-dollars? Was someone tipped off that the BC Government was planning to purchase the land?”
Former Abbotsford mayor Henry Braun also weighed in, calling the purchase a “poor financial decision” and saying “the public should be outraged at how our current government spends our hard-earned money,” according to the release.
“If there is a simple explanation, the NDP should be able to easily provide it today,” Kropp said. “But if David Eby refuses to answer, British Columbians can justifiably question how he is managing their tax-dollars.”
The Province’s 2025 announcement said the Abbotsford and Victoria West sites would be considered alongside school requests from 59 other districts in future budget cycles, with CSF to develop business plans including school size, design and opening timelines once the projects are supported.
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