Laurier, Milton still waiting on decision

WATERLOO — The province has yet to make a decision on Wilfrid Laurier University’s proposal to establish a campus in Milton.

“We were expecting an announcement last fall, and the timelines have extended a little bit,” said Jodie Sales, director of corporate communications with the town of Milton.

It was in late 2016 that the province announced it was seeking proposals for post-secondary institutions to open in Milton and Brampton, with a promise the province would invest up to $180 million in the two sites.

Laurier, in partnership with Conestoga College, was the only proponent to submit for the Milton site, and the town supported them in that bid.

The province was expected to announce the successful proposals for both sites in fall 2017, but nothing has been released.

When the province was asked why there was a delay, they would only say that a decision was still being made.

“The ministry is currently working through the decisionmaking process and intends to make a public announcement in the coming months in regards to funding and partnerships related to Ontario’s investment of up to $180 million toward Milton and Brampton post-secondary sites,” said Tanya Blazina, spokesperson with the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development.

It was back in 2008 that Wilfrid Laurier University and Milton first established a memorandum of understanding with the in-

tention of having a university campus in Milton. The relationship was renewed in 2014.

The town promised 150 acres of land valued at $50 million to Laurier, for a campus to be built within what Milton has slated at the 400-acre Milton Education Village. The site sits alongside the Niagara Escarpment and includes the Mattamy National Cycling Centre.

“That land has been set aside for not only the university but also for some companion development,” said Sales, adding that Milton also plans for transit, commercial, residential and recreational development on the site.

If the Laurier campus is given the green light, it expects to attract 1,000 undergraduate students to the site by year five, with a focus on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics, said Lori Chalmers Morrison, spokesperson for Laurier.

She added that discussions with the province regarding a campus in Milton “have been progressing well.”