Despite the inclement weather, October 23 turned out to be a great day to mark the official groundbreaking for Centennial's new Library and Academic Facility at Progress Campus, thanks to the many friends of the college who came out to mark the occasion.
On hand was the Honourable Tony Clement, federal Minister of Industry, and no less than six members of the Ontario legislature, including Hon. Margarett Best, Hon. Brad Duguid and Lorenzo Berardinetti, as well as City of Toronto Councillor Raymond Cho. Our special guests assembled in the Student Centre, out of the biting wind and rain, to mark the occasion along with Centennial College administrators, staff, faculty and students. The $46-million addition to Progress Campus will house a new library, 22 additional classrooms, lab space, a living bio-wall and a large lecture theatre. The LEED Gold-certified building will form the new "front door" of the flagship campus. The project received federal and provincial funding totaling $35 million through the Knowledge Infrastructure Program and Ontario's 2009 Budget. Other investments include $5 million previously contributed by the Ontario government and more than $5.8 million contributed by the college and other sources. "The generous support from the provincial and federal governments could not come at a more opportune time," President Ann Buller told the crowd. "Centennial is undergoing a period of rapid, but carefully managed, expansion thanks to Canadian and international students recognizing that a college education can impart the advanced skills deemed so essential for economic growth and sustainability." The college gained 2,000 additional new students this fall, raising full-time enrolment to a record 14,400 students, including some 600 people funded through Ontario's Second Career initiative. "By renewing the facilities at Centennial College, researchers in our community will have the tools they need to be global leaders in their fields and pursue world-class excellence," said the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry. "It is one way that our government is working to strengthen Canada's capacity to innovate and translate research into meaningful benefits for all Canadians." Ottawa's Knowledge Infrastructure Program, a two-year, $2 billion economic stimulus measure to support infrastructure enhancement at Canadian post-secondary institutions, is part of the $12 billion in new infrastructure investment allocated under Canada's Economic Action Plan. After a round of warm and friendly speeches, our special guests braved the wind and rain to assemble outside in the construction site, next to a large earthmover. They used their shiny shovels to turn the hard soil for the benefit of cameras. Construction will now move into a rapid phase as crews clear the site to pour concrete slabs upon which the building will take shape. The Library and Academic Facility is expected to be completed in the spring of 2011. |
