Ontario has announced it will make investments totaling $3 million in Confederation College’s campuses located in Thunder Bay and Sioux Lookout.
Premier Kathleen Wynne was on hand in Thunder Bay to announce the investments in the two Northwestern Ontario facilities, which are expected to open in September 2017.
The province will provide $2 million through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) to create a 36,500-square-foot Student Wellness Centre located on the college’s main campus in Thunder Bay. The centre’s design will reflect Indigenous elements and include space for Indigenous wellness and spiritual programs.
The Student Wellness Centre will also feature a gymnasium, change rooms, recreational space, multi-purpose rooms and a room for academic education and training. The centre will also be available for the community to host large-scale events and hold high school sports games.
Ontario will also provide $1 million through the NOHFC to build a new facility to create Confederation College’s Sioux Lookout campus. The facility will be located within the new Sioux Lookout High School that is being built by the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board, and will allow the high school and college to share resources such as labs and shops. This will help the college expand enrolment and teach skills valued by local employers such as hospitality, culinary arts, environmental sciences and applied health sciences.
“Our government is proud to support capital projects at colleges and universities that give students access to modern facilities where they can connect with each other through shared spaces and build the skills they need to find and keep good jobs,” said Reza Moridi, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, in a press release. “These two projects will further solidify Confederation College’s connection with the local communities they operate in, while encouraging more local youth to participate in postsecondary education.”
This investment in community infrastructure and post-secondary education is part of the province’s Growth Plan for Northern Ontario. Since 2003, the province has invested over $1.1 billion through the NOHFC in over 7,300 projects.
