Construction of Collège Boréal’s $22-million future campus in Toronto’s Distillery District is underway. Development of the project kicked off on Oct. 29, 2018.

The Ontario government is providing almost three-quarters of the funding for the campus, totaling $15 million. The college is paying the remaining $6.7 million. The provincial government’s decision to fund the new campus comes after a decision earlier this month to cut funding to three post-secondary projects.

The new campus known as the “Ribbon Building” is 100,000 square feet spread over four floors, doubling its existing floor space. This is the first time the French-language post-secondary institution will be in a permanent location since it was established in 1995. The college has to move from its current location because the lease is expiring.

“Moving Collège Boréal Toronto headquarters to a new and innovative campus in the heart of Toronto’s famed Distillery District is a major turning point in the history of our Francophone institution,” said Daniel Giroux, president Collège Boréal.

“This campus will ensure the ongoing provision of French language professional training in Toronto, contribute greatly to the community’s Francophone continuum and energize the Francophone presence in a dynamic and inspiring urban space.”

The official opening of the new campus is expected to take place in 2020 or early 2021.