Georgian College and Lakehead University are both getting a financial boost from the provincial government.
It is investing $7.2M in funding to help provide a modern and safe learning environment for students, faculty and staff, both virtually and on campus.
The funding is part of the government’s $583 million investment over three years to help institutions modernize classrooms by upgrading technology, carrying out critical repairs, improving their environmental sustainability and supporting virtual learning projects that increase access to postsecondary education for students.
“Ontario’s postsecondary institutions offer world class education, which is critical to the future of the province, our community and the economy,” said Jill Dunlop, MPP for Simcoe-North. “Our government’s investments to build Ontario will help Georgian College and Lakehead University renew and modernize their facilities and buy vital training equipment so they can continue to deliver highquality education to students – anytime and anywhere.”
The $4M investments at Georgian College will help to:
• modernize equipment and resources to support programs including Georgian’s new stand-alone Honours Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) degree at the Barrie and Owen Sound campuses
• purchase a variety of equipment for their Collaborative Nursing program at their Barrie and Owen Sound campuses, including: code blue notification system; wheel chairs; student charting stations; floor lift; and crash cart and
• provide HVAC upgrades, elevator refurbishments, and classroom improvements.
The $3.2M investment at Lakehead University will help to:
• upgrade AV/IT/WIFI/conferencing infrastructure in engineering, health and sciences (STEM) spaces to enhance virtual/hybrid/remote/experiential learning including micro-credentials as well as to increase access for Indigenous and Northern communities and
• perform maintenance on boilers, chillers, pumps, cooling towers replacement and fire alarm system at their main campus buildings.
“It is vital that we continue to build opportunities for students in our vibrant region while strengthening the capacity of our local healthcare sector,” said Doug Downey, MPP for Barrie-Springwater-OroMedonte. “This investment at Georgian College will ensure students can access leading resources and facilities in our communities to become highly trained professionals in their fields.”
“This funding support of the nursing programs will ensure students have access to modern instructional equipment to meet business and industry standards, and enhance the overall student experience,” said Bill Walker, MPP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound. “By investing in postsecondary infrastructure, we are not only supporting our local economy, but supporting our local students to access good education closer to home, which ultimately will result in more care to people of our community.”