NEWS RELEASE
MP MARC SERRE
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The Government of Canada values the role of post-secondary institutions as they help equip young Canadians with the education and training they need for future careers that will help them join a strong, healthy middle class.
Today’s $11 million investment in Northern College will do just that by fostering the training needed for the well- paying middle-class jobs of today and tomorrow.
This joint federal-provincial investment was announced today by Marc Serré, Member of Parliament for Nickel Belt, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development.
The Government of Canada’s Innovation Agenda aims to make this country a global centre for innovation — one that creates jobs, drives growth across all industries and improves the lives of all Canadians. This investment is a prime example of that vision in action.
The funding from the Government of Canada is being allocated through the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund, which will enhance and modernize research facilities on Canadian campuses and improve the environmental sustainability of these facilities.
Northern College will build a new Integrated Emergency Services Complex, which will allow for improved collaboration between the Emergency Services Responders and the community.
The new complex will house training labs and garages, simulation rooms for specialized training and video conference technology, which will provide students with an interactive learning environment.
The complex will realize efficiencies resulting from the sharing of the facility, such as the co-sharing of equipment and resources. It will also increase student placement learning, as students would have access to new equipment and enhanced hands-on learning opportunities from Emergency Services Responders.
The addition of the complex will also contribute to the future sustainability of the college through the planned energy efficient designs. The facility be designed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental (LEED) standards.
The federal and provincial governments will contribute $5.5 million each, and Northern College will contribute $700,000 to the project, for a total project cost of $11.7 million.
In total, universities and colleges throughout Ontario will receive more than $1.9 billion from the Government of Canada, the provincial government, the institutions themselves and private donors.
Federal funding will be allocated through the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund, which will enhance and modernize research facilities on Canadian campuses and improve the environmental sustainability of these facilities.
As a result of these investments, students, professors and researchers will work in state-of-the-art facilities that advance the country’s best research. They will collaborate in specially designed spaces that support lifelong learning and skills training.
They will work in close proximity with partners to turn discoveries into products or services. In the process, they will train for—and invent—the high-value jobs of the future. And their discoveries will plant the seeds for the next generation of innovators.
That is how the Strategic Investment Fund will jump-start a virtuous circle of innovation, creating the right conditions for long-term growth that will yield benefits for generations to come.
Ontario is making the largest investment in public infrastructure in the province’s history—about $160 billion over 12 years—which is supporting 110,000 jobs every year across the province with projects such as hospitals, schools, roads, bridges and transit.
Since 2015, the Province has announced support for more than 475 projects that will keep people and goods moving, connect communities and improve quality of life. To learn more about infrastructure projects in your community, go to Ontario.ca/BuildON.
Quotes
“The Government of Canada is proud to invest in projects that modernize post-secondary educational facilities and in doing so, empower institutions like Northern College to provide increased placement learning and enhances hands-on learning opportunities from Emergency Services responders. This investment is key to ensuring that residents can count on some of the best trained and most professional Emergency Responders in the country to answer their call when in need.”
- Marc Serré, Member of Parliament for Nickel Belt
“This once-in-a-generation investment by the Government of Canada is a historic down payment on the government’s vision to position Canada as a global centre for innovation. That means making Canada a world leader in turning ideas into solutions, science into technologies, skills into jobs and start-up companies into global successes. This investment will create conditions that are conducive to innovation and long-term growth, which will in turn keep the Canadian economy globally competitive.”
- The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development
“Encouraging scientific awareness in Northern Ontario and across Canada depends on supporting our world-class scientists and researchers. Through investments such as those under the Strategic Investment Fund, we are continuing to lay the groundwork for making Canada a global leader in scientific excellence.”
- The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science
“Our government is proud to invest in Northern College so that students can learn in a modern and sustainable environment. We know that providing access to high-quality education and training facilities is critical to building the highly skilled workforce we need to support good jobs and economic growth for today and tomorrow, and this investment will help us to do it.”
- Hon. Deb Matthews, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development
“Northern College gratefully acknowledges the generous funding support from the Federal Government through their Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund and from the Province of Ontario’s Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development. With this collective commitment, Northern College, along with our community partners, looks forward to realizing our vision of creating a state-of-the-art Integrated Emergency Services Complex that will support applied research and innovation and provide a superior learning environment for our Pre-Service Firefighter Training, Paramedic and Police Foundations Programs.”
- Fred Gibbons, President and CEO, Northern College
Quick facts
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The Government of Canada’s Innovation Agenda is designed to ensure Canada is globally competitive in promoting research, translating ideas into new products and services, accelerating business growth and propelling entrepreneurs from the start-up phase to international success.
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The targeted, short-term investments under the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund will promote economic activity across Canada and help Canada’s universities and colleges develop highly skilled workers, act as engines of discovery, and collaborate on innovations that help Canadian companies compete and grow internationally.
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The Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund supports the Government of Canada’s climate change objectives by encouraging sustainable and green infrastructure projects.
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