St. Clair College will receive $2.49 million from the province to address its deferred maintenance backlog, undertake critical repairs and upgrades and provide a modern and safe learning environment for students, faculty and staff.
The announcement was made Friday by Chatham-Kent-Leamington MPP Rick Nicholls at St. Clair’s Chatham campus.
“Investing in education only benefits everyone in the long run and with the increased number of high-school students pursuing post-secondary education, the $2.49 million will be extremely helpful towards needed maintenance and campus upgrades at St. Clair College,” Nicholls said.
“We very much appreciate the ministry’s recognition that we need high-quality facilities to deliver high-quality education,” said St. Clair College President Patti France. “Given that the province-wide college system was founded in the late-1960s, many of our primary buildings are now over 50 years old. As anyone who has owned a half-century-old home knows, the maintenance list is a long and ongoing one. We’re very thankful that this funding will allow us to tackle our ‘to-do list’.”
St. Clair will also receive an additional $763,500 from the province's Colleges Equipment and Renewal Fund (CERF), which will help purchase and renew instructional equipment and learning resources.
The Ontario government is investing a total of $164 million across the province to help colleges and universities with their deferred maintenance backlog.
“The first-class education students receive at our post-secondary institutions is critical to the future of Ontario, our economy, and the prosperity of our people, said Ross Romano, Minister of Colleges and Universities.
“That is why our government is committed to providing annual funding that will help our colleges and universities renew and modernize their facilities.”