KITCHENER — The Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology), Harold Albrecht, Member of Parliament for Kitchener–Conestoga, and Leeanna Pendergast, Member of Provincial Parliament for Kitchener–Conestoga, announced a Knowledge Infrastructure Program investment of just over $13 million for Conestoga College.

The College will use the funding to expand its School of Health & Life Sciences and Community Services by 75 000 square feet. This will allow it to double enrolment from 1400 to 2800 full-time students and deliver 18 new programs to future nurses and health informatics, respiratory, optometry and pharmacy technicians in a modern health care setting.

This investment is part of the federal government’s two-year $2-billion plan to repair and expand research and educational facilities at Canadian colleges and universities. The 2009 Ontario Budget invested $780 million in infrastructure projects in the province’s colleges and universities. Together, these programs are helping to provide economic stimulus and promote employment by creating jobs for engineers, architects, tradespeople and technicians.

“This investment will provide significant short-term economic stimulus in the Kitchener region, while at the same time strengthening Canada’s long-term capacity for research and innovation,” said Minister of State Goodyear. “The renewal of college and university facilities will encourage more world-class researchers to work in Canada and give them the tools they need to make more discoveries that will benefit Canadians and people around the world.”

“The Knowledge Infrastructure Program provides an opportunity for effective partnerships between the provincial and federal governments during this time of economic crisis,” said Mr. Albrecht. “The Government of Canada is investing in innovation to create jobs, to help our economy recover quickly and to improve the quality of life of Canadians.”

“This funding will meet our community’s needs in a variety of ways. It will create jobs and provide the necessary training, which will ensure that Ontario’s health care system remains among the best in the world for years to come,” said Ms. Pendergast.

The funding announced today for the project includes nearly $5.9 million from the Government of Canada and nearly $7.2 million from the Government of Ontario. In addition, close to $10.8 million is being provided from other partners, including the college itself.

Canada’s Economic Action Plan sets out to stimulate the Canadian economy over the next two years and to improve our long-term competitiveness through $12 billion in new infrastructure investment, which includes the $2-billion Knowledge Infrastructure Program. This new support is the next substantive investment in the Government of Canada’s multi-year Science and Technology Strategy, Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada’s Advantage.