Canada and Ontario invest to renew infrastructure

Anthony Rota, Member of Parliament for Nipissing – Timiskaming, was on campus yesterday to announce a $962,500 investment at Nipissing University.

Rota made the joint federal-provincial investment announcement on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development.

The Government of Canada’sInnovation Agenda aims to make this country a global centre for innovation—one that creates jobs, drives growth across all industries and improves the lives of all Canadians. This investment is a prime example of that vision in action.

The funding will enable Nipissing University to renovate and replace the aging heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system in Education Centre building. The university will also replace multiple roofing systems in numerous areas of concern throughout the campus. Of the $1,262,500 investment, $662,500 will come from the federal government and $300,000 from the Government of Ontario. Nipissing University will contribute an additional $300,000 for a total investment of $1,262,500.

“Nipissing University thanks Mr. Rota and the Federal and provincial governments for this investment,” said Dr. Mike DeGagné, president and vice-chancellor of Nipissing University. “Innovation, research, discovery – these actions live at the heart of what we do here. This investment in Nipissing’s facilities will help us to ensure we can meet the needs of our students, faculty and staff as we work together in classrooms, laboratories, and offices, unlocking research breakthroughs, building new knowledge, and providing the critical skills necessary for success in an economy that is increasingly competitive and ever changing.”

The funding from the Government of Canada is being allocated through thePost-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund, which will enhance and modernize research facilities on Canadian campuses and improve the environmental sustainability of these facilities.

“These infrastructure investments will create good, well-paying jobs that can help the middle class grow and prosper today, while also delivering sustained economic growth for years to come,” said Rota.  “Through the Strategic Investment Fund, we are strengthening the foundation for building Canada into a global centre for innovation.”

As a result of these investments, students, professors and researchers will work in state-of-the-art facilities that advance the country’s best research. They will collaborate in specially designed spaces that support lifelong learning and skills training. They will work in close proximity with partners to turn discoveries into products or services. In the process, they will train for—and invent—the high-value jobs of the future. And their discoveries will plant the seeds for the next generation of innovators.

That is how the Strategic Investment Fund will jump-start a virtuous circle of innovation, creating the right conditions for long-term growth that will yield benefits for generations to come.

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