WATERLOO — The Ontario government is providing $3 million to help renovate and improve Laurier’s Faculty of Music facilities in the university’s John Aird Centre.

The funding will help expand the music facilities, enlarge and enhance the rehearsal and teaching space, upgrade equipment and make improvements to the Aird building, which was built in 1988.

The announcement was made by John Milloy, Ontario’s minister for Training, Colleges and Universities and the MPP for Kitchener Centre. During a news conference in the foyer of Laurier’s Maureen Forrester Recital Hall, Milloy also announced $8 million in funding for the University of Waterloo’s Health Sciences campus in downtown Kitchener.

“Minister Milloy and his colleagues in government clearly see the importance of investments in the post-secondary sector to enable us to renew our institutions and to meet the strong demand for spaces,” said Laurier president Dr. Max Blouw. “This investment will complement funds that have been provided by our generous donors to enable Laurier to complete critical renovations for the Faculty of Music. We are delighted by this support and the opportunity that it gives us to move forward quickly to enhance our capacity.”

Milloy said he was delighted to be at Laurier to make the announcement.

“Our government knows that it is today’s students who will build Ontario’s future economy, and that economy will be increasingly knowledge-based,” said Milloy. “Our investments in the Waterloo Region will help ensure students are prepared for success in the future while we create new jobs today.”

The funding is part of the $1.4-billion investment in strategic infrastructure announced in the Ontario government’s fall economic statement. This investment includes previously announced funding for campus renewal projects, including nearly $3.4 million for Laurier to improve energy efficiency and campus safety and to carry out a variety of infrastructure renewal projects.