Oshawa, Ontario - At a news conference today, Durham College celebrated the Ontario government's recent announcement that the college will receive $28.75 million through the SuperBuild Growth Fund. The fund was announced in the May 1999 Ontario budget speech.
"This is spectacular news for our students and the employers in Durham Region and the Greater Toronto Area. The benefits will be felt for years to come," enthused Gary Polonsky, president of Durham College & University Centre. "It will give us the means to quickly and effectively train the highly skilled information technology and manufacturing workers Canadian businesses need."
This will also be the first major academic expansion of the college since the Skills Training Centre was built more than six years ago, Polonsky noted.
John O'Toole, MPP for Durham, said, "This is a fine example of how the massive SuperBuild program will benefit our region. The expansion of Durham College will help to prepare us for the increased number of students who will be graduating from high school in the spring of 2003."
The SuperBuild funding will enable Durham College to create the Manufacturing and Information Technology Centre (MITC), expand the college's world-class Skills Training Centre in Whitby, and carry out significant expansion of and improvements to the Oshawa campus. The overall project budget is estimated at $48 million, with approximately one-third to be provided by Durham College and its corporate partners.
Jim Flaherty, MPP for Whitby-Ajax, said, "It's great news that the Skills Training Centre in Whitby will be expanded to accommodate 500 more students. The centre is known across Canada for its training programs in machining, tool and die making, automotive technician and many other skilled trades that are in high demand."
Polonsky added, "We owe special thanks to each of our corporate partners: General Motors of Canada Ltd., IBM Canada Ltd., Bell Canada Ltd., Nortel Networks, Rockwell Automation Canada Inc., Unigraphics Solutions Canada Ltd. and Schneider Electric. They each worked tirelessly with us to plan the project and they have also pledged their financial support. At the same time, we acknowledge the strong backing we received from our outstanding MPPs who played a major role in achieving this great day: John O'Toole, Jim Flaherty, Janet Ecker, Chris Hodgson, Jerry Ouellette and Doug Galt, most of whom are here today."
The planned expansion of the Whitby campus includes six new classrooms, a learning centre with 50 computer workstations, and additional offices and meeting rooms.
Janet Ecker, Pickering-Ajax-Uxbridge MPP, said, "I'm encouraged by the high degree of co-operation between the government's SuperBuild Growth Fund, the private sector and Durham College. Obviously, a college education is the key to a bright future for many of our young people, especially during this time of ever-changing technology."
Improvements at the Oshawa campus include the creation of a "smart" building, a computer-integrated manufacturing lab, a learning commons with 180 computer workstations, five new technical labs, 13 new classrooms, six lecture theatres, a faculty and staff development centre, and some infrastructure improvements to academic facilities, roads and other areas.
Jerry Ouellette, MPP for Oshawa, said, "I'm pleased to note that the college's planned expansion will make more student spaces available in Oshawa. I'm also happy to see that Durham College is working closely with such an impressive array of corporate partners including General Motors and the CAW."
In the 1999 Ontario budget speech, Durham College was one of the four post-secondary institutions identified to have submitted an "exciting proposal." The SuperBuild initiative is slated to invest $742 million in Ontario colleges and universities. The funding will help them expand their facilities by September 2003, when college and university enrolment is expected to double due to the elimination of a fifth year of high school.
"Durham Region is one of the top manufacturing and export centres in Canada, and our college has consistently been among the fastest-growing of Ontario's 25 colleges," said Polonsky. "Thanks to each and every student, colleague and governor, we also have a solid track record of taking on important projects and completing them on time and within budget."
Contact:
Gary Polonsky
President
Durham College & University Centre
tel: 905-721-3101
gary.polonsky@durhamc.on.ca
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