Conestoga College announces $43.5M expansion of Waterloo campus
Conestoga College spends $27.7 million on expansion, rest comes from government funding
Conestoga College announced a $43.5 million expansion to its north Waterloo campus on Monday, which will begin the first phase of its Pathways to Prosperity initiative.
"This investment will enable Conestoga to build essential capacity to address the needs of our growing community, foster innovation and create new opportunities for individuals to build the skills and knowledge that will contribute to successful careers, stronger businesses, and economic growth across our dynamic region," said Conestoga College president John Tibbits in a news release Monday morning.
The expansion means a major renovation for the college's satellite campus, located at 108 University Ave. E.
According to a release, by the fall of 2018, the college will provide:
- A new Institute for Culinary & Hospitality Management that will train students in these fields and push Waterloo region as a culinary tourism destination.
- A new access hub that will provide career advising, language training, testing and academic advising for students, newcomers to Canada, job seekers and area employers.
- The Centre for Advanced Learning will focus on information and communications technology, digital technologies and business.
The college will also be the home to the college's language training, which is currently in a rented facility in Waterloo, and the School of Information Technology, currently at the Doon Campus.
The college itself is paying for two-thirds of the expansion, while $14 million will come from the federal government's Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund, with the Government of Ontario chipping in the remaining $1.8 million.
"This investment will create the right conditions for innovation and long term growth," said Marwan Tabbara, MP for Kitchener South Hespeler, where the main campus of Conestoga College is located.
