Universities to get millions to help repair facilities
The province’s university and college network was purring Friday after the federal and provincial governments teamed up to shovel millions into their infrastructure needs.
While the Université de Montréal alone bags one of the biggest single chunks of the money — $84 million in federal dollars for its new $348-million science complex already under construction, McGill, Concordia and Bishop’s universities get a share of the pie, too. So do many of Quebec’s 46 CEGEPs scattered across the province.
The exact amounts and project details are to be announced in January.
Overall, the province’s higher education sector is getting what the governments say is a historic boost. Ottawa is kicking in $385 million out of its $2 billion post-secondary institutions strategic investment fund, while Quebec tosses in another $345 million.
Combined with $361 million in money from the institutions themselves and other private donations the new spending on higher education totals $1.1 billion — much of it going toward renovations and repairs of the deteriorating buildings in Quebec’s university network, but also new research and development facilities.
The money will fund a total of 101 projects.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Philippe Couillard made the joint announcement Friday morning at a news conference at the Centre communautaire intergénérationnel d’Outremont, not far from the Université de Montréal’s new complex.
“It’s not just concrete,” Couillard said, noting he did his medical studies at the Université de Montréal.
“It creates better environments which give better care for patients, better courses for students and more success for our youth.
“These establishments have to be innovative and modern. It’s a major effort, I would say massive investments in our establishments.”
“By building cutting edge progressive facilities and attracting the brightest minds in our country, these investments will create conditions conducive to innovation and long-term growth,” added Trudeau.
Reaction from the education sector was overwhelmingly positive.
“It’s great, we need these kinds of investments,” said McGill University principal Suzanne Fortier, on hand for the announcement.
“As you know, McGill is an old campus with lots of old infrastructure. We have beautiful buildings but they’re old. We need to bring them up to date in terms of sustainability.”
“Montreal is already, in North America, the second largest urban centre for research and teaching,” added Concordia University president Alan Shepard in an interview. “That’s pretty extraordinary and I don’t think we always get credit for that or have it recognized.”
“What this investment of over $1 billion will do is propel even further that reputation.
“You have to have the facilities, you have to have the opportunities. I think we have them and are continuing to build on success.”
Université de Montréal rector Guy Breton said the money shows the two levels of government are serious in their commitment to higher education.
Bernard Tremblay, president of the Fédération des cégeps, said the fresh funding will help about 40 modernization and renovation projects get off the ground in the college network, which also has its share of aging buildings.
Ottawa’s post-secondary education strategic investment fund, announced in the last federal budget, has a total of $2 billion for the entire country.
The funding is much needed. A provincial government study earlier this year estimated 40 per cent of Quebec’s university infrastructure is in either a “high or very high” state of decay and in need of repair.
McGill, Concordia, Université de Montréal and Bishop’s University have the biggest problems. At Concordia and Université de Montréal more than 50 per cent of buildings are in poor condition.
At McGill the number is 73 per cent.
The agreement follows several weeks of tension between Ottawa and the Quebec government over other issues including trying to hammer out a new formula for health care funding.