NSCC president to address relocation

Don Bureaux will be keynote speaker at Sydney chamber AGM on April 24

The president and chief executive of the Nova Scotia Community College will address the Sydney and Area Chamber of Commerce at its annual general meeting later this month.

Don Bureaux will be speaking on the relocation of the NSCC Marconi Campus to downtown Sydney.

“Moving NSCC to the downtown area will have many positive impacts on the economy and bring a new energy to the area,” Kathleen Yurchesyn, CEO of the Sydney and Area Chamber of Commerce, said in a release Wednesday.

“The business community is excited about this opportunity and we are looking forward to hearing Mr. Bureaux’s vision.”

Dartmouth-based design firm, Ekistics, was awarded the $145,000 contract by the provincial government in March to begin an eight-month study on the NSCC move to the downtown area.

The firm will be tasked with consulting with those affected by the massive relocation project.

The Marconi campus, with a student population of 1,200, is adjacent to Cape Breton University.

The study will look at space requirements and potential locations, campus design, student impacts and transportation needs.

During the announcement last November informing the public of the move, Bureaux said the work ahead would have to be part of a “team effort” in order to be successful.

“We’re going to work on this together, to build that vision of what this campus can look like, what it can feel like and what it can operate like and build it right here in this community,” he said at the time.

The province said Ekistics’ work will conclude by December.

Tickets to the annual general meeting on April 24 are $45 and can be purchased online at: https://www.eventbrite.ca/d/ canada--sydney/events/.