Calgary Journal Online

Local institutions will receive over $53M from government fund

Mount Royal College has been awarded $17.25 million of over $53 million federal and provincial dollars provided by the federal and provincial governments through the Knowledge Infrastructure Program. SAIT and Bow Valley College will also share in the program. The funds are designated to repair, maintenance and expansion of research and educational facilities at Canadian colleges and universities.

In addition to generating the infrastructure needed to keep Canadian educational facilities at the forefront of technological and scientific advancement, the program will provoke economic stimulus and employment by creating engineering, architectural, trade and technical jobs.

 

Calgary Centre MP, Lee Richardson, is in full support of the program. He says he is “delighted because the funding will kill two birds with one stone, help stimulate the economy and, create jobs right now.” He noted that those jobs are going to commence right away.

Richardson says the Knowledge Infrastructure Program is a constructive way to stimulate the economy. He said one of his government’s goals with the program is “to rebuild confidence in the economy, to get people working again; and what better way than to provide infrastructure for our educational institutions?” Richardson also said the Knowledge and Infrastructure program is just the beginning of a number of educational infrastructure programs planned.

Alison Redford, Minister of Justice and the Attorney General and MLA for Calgary Elbow said, “The funding recognized the value and importance we place on Alberta’s post-secondary education system and the development of the next generation economy.”

Redford says that, “As a provincial government, we’re investing very heavily in infrastructure in this sector and right across the province.” She says her government is pleased with the Knowledge Infrastructure partnership with the federal government as it helps the provincial government leverage their existing financial commitment.

Minister Redmond says the provincial government’s existing long-term capital plan is valued at over $4 billion dollars, with the Campus Alberta investment portion covering 28 institutions in the province.

Wayne King, CFO and VP Corporate Services at SAIT Polytechnic said that students wouldn’t necessarily notice the benefits the Knowledge Infrastructure Program funds would have on SAIT buildings and maintenance. He said the infrastructure support would be “kind of like defence; they notice when it’s not there.”

King said SAIT invested $10 million in its maintenance plan last year and that the infrastructure funds would allow SAIT to catch up on some of that school’s maintenance programs, noting the average age of SAIT buildings is 32 years. He said that SAIT is in good shape but the funds would allow SAIT to speed up programs planned for next year.

President and CEO of Bow Valley College, Sharon Carry says the Knowledge Infrastructure Program “is going to help the entire post-secondary system.” The Knowledge Infrastructure award will allow Bow Valley College to accelerate construction of its second building, scheduled for July 2009.

“Money is everything when you’re trying to create opportunities for people to learn because they do need spaces in which to learn,” Carry says, adding that the employment opportunities the funding will create at Bow Valley equal 88 person years of employment.

Carry says that Bow Valley has seen a 55 per cent increase in applications for enrollment this year.  However, she noted that despite the funding being important for creating space for learners, “there is still the issue of who is going to teach them.” She said that although demand for learning is way up, she wasn’t sure if Bow Valley would be able to accommodate the increase in applications due to lack of investment to hire teaching staff.

Carry said the provincial government has been “generous” in sustaining Bow Valley’s funding for one more year, but that the government hadn’t been able to create capacity. However, Carry was optimistic, saying she had “a very good feeling that our Federal Government is going to want to do more and that we’re going to hear more announcements in the future related to helping Campus Alberta.”

Approximately 250 people attended the joint announcement at Ross Glen Hall in the Roderick Mah Centre for Continuous Learning at Mount Royal. The event was attended by MP Lee Richardson; MLA Manmeet Bhullar, Calgary East and Parliamentary Assistant to Advanced Education; Minister Alison Redford, Minister of Justice and MLA for Calgary Elbow; Dr. Dave Marshall, President, Mount Royal College; Saron Carry, President and CEO, Bow Valley College; and Wayne King, CFO and VP corporate Services, SAIT Polytechnic, who attended on behalf of Irene Lewis, President, SAIT Polytechnic.