Canadore College president, George Burton, congratulates the Minister of Finance on his first budget which may include some key infrastructure funding for the North Bay College.
“It is clear from the budget announcement that the federal government recognizes the importance of the college system and the role it plays in driving our economy,” said Burton.
“Provisions within the budget will assist us in modernizing our campuses and equipment, reducing our environmental footprint, developing greater capacity for applied research, and better serving our diverse student population.”
The 2016 federal budget announced that the government will invest $2 billion over three years in a new Post Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund, which will create considerable opportunity for infrastructure renewal when coupled with the $9 billion Building Canada Fund.
Canadore is in the development stages of a number of capital projects, including a Living Learning Village Centre, a concept unique to Canada, that would allow for an inter-professional continuum of care, services and learning opportunities for students, patients, residents and the broader community; a new new Student Health and Wellness Services Centre, a facility that would improve the efficiencies of program delivery and access to centralized student services while expanding the School of Sport and Recreation, the First Peoples’ Centre and the Office of Inclusion; and the replacement of its Technology and Skills Campus.
“We will definitely be applying to this fund,” said Burton. “Many of our campuses’ roofs, heating units, windows and doors are well beyond their expected lifespan. In fact, the price tag for Canadore’s deferred maintenance currently exceeds $18.5 million.”
Burton also applauds the move to invest $800 million over four years in innovation networks to help expand business clusters.
“Through our Innovation Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and Production, Canadore has been working diligently with small- and medium-sized business from across various sectors to encourage industry innovation,” said Burton. “SME business innovation is extraordinarily powerful, and it’s great to see the government identify this as a priority. We are grateful for this increased support as we tee up to open the doors to ICAMP 2.0.”
The college system is pleased to see improvements in student aid were announced, which build on the enhancements made in last month’s provincial budget to assist greater numbers of students gaining access to career-specific programs at Ontario’s colleges.
Commitments were made to renew and expand the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy and review the support provided to northerners’ participation in the labour market. Burton acknowledges that this strategy will further support efforts to assist Canada’s Indigenous People access postsecondary education.
“As more details roll out on the 2016 federal budget, I will work with our team to access as much funding as possible to renew aging infrastructure with green solutions, increase students’ access to college and create innovative research linkages with industry,” said Burton.
Canadore’s North Bay campuses have not received significant program infrastructure funding from government since 2001, the year the College broke ground on its Aviation Technology Campus.
