Barrie City Council Kicks In Cash For Georgian College Expansion
Might mean long-talked about downtown campus finally happens
The city has committed to a campus expansion. At City Hall last night, council put the rubber stamp on a motion to contribute $5 million or 25%, whichever is cheaper, to a new Advanced Technology Centre for Barrie’s Georgian College campus. This money comes under the condition that Georgian provide a timeline for a much-discussed downtown campus. The proposal calls for a 60,000 Square foot facility focusing on innovation and research programs for some 800 students. The facility is expected to come at a cost of $30 million, with money coming from both the municipal and provincial level with the hopes Georgian can make use of a federal funding program. Several weeks ago, Ottawa announced it would provide up to $2 billion in infrastructure funding for eligible colleges and universities in Canada, with an application deadline of last night, meaning the college and the city rushed the process to make sure the application would be considered. It’s up to the feds now to go through all the applications and decide who gets a share of the pot.
