Canada and Ontario invest in infrastructure at Carleton University

$26.4-million investment will expand research and foster innovation

OTTAWA, Nov. 7, 2016 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada values the role of post-secondary institutions as they help equip young Canadians with the education and training they need for future careers that will help them join a strong, healthy middle class. Today's $26.4-million investment at Carleton University will do just that by fostering the training needed for the well-paying middle-class jobs of today and tomorrow.

The funding was announced today by the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, and by the Honourable Yasir Naqvi, MPP for Ottawa Centre.

Canada's Innovation 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 exemplifies that vision in action.

The funding will be used for two projects at Carleton University that will support sustainability and green initiatives on campus. The first will support energy-efficient retrofitting and help create sustainable built environments across Carleton University. The second will help Carleton develop the Advanced Research and Innovation in Smart Environments (ARISE) project. ARISE is a collaborative infrastructure project that promises to bolster innovation in clean technology, health technology, and information and communication technologies.

Federal-provincial investments in these projects include:

• $22.5 million from the Government of Canada; and
• $3.9 million from the Province of Ontario.  

Carleton University is also providing $23.5 million, for a total investment from all parties of $49.9 million.

In total, universities and colleges throughout Ontario will receive more than $1.9 billion from the Government of Canada, the provincial government, the institutions themselves and private donors. Federal funding will be allocated through the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund, which will enhance and modernize research facilities on Canadian campuses and improve the environmental sustainability of these facilities.

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.

Ontario is making the largest investment in public infrastructure in the province's history—about $160 billion over 12 years—which is supporting 110,000 jobs every year across the province with projects such as hospitals, schools, roads, bridges and transit. Since 2015, the Province has announced support for more than 475 projects that will keep people and goods moving, connect communities and improve quality of life. To learn more about infrastructure projects in your community, go to Ontario.ca/BuildON.

Quotes

"This once-in-a-generation investment by the Government of Canada is a historic down payment on the government's vision to position Canada as a global centre for innovation. That means making Canada a world leader in turning ideas into solutions, science into technologies, skills into middle-class jobs and start-up companies into global successes. This investment will create conditions that are conducive to innovation and long-term growth, which will in turn keep the Canadian economy globally competitive."
– The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development

"I am pleased to be here at Carleton today to announce the Government of Canada's contributions to new facilities on campus. I am delighted to see that these new buildings will be energy efficient and provide research opportunities in environmental and climate science—a key field of research as Canada continues to take real action and find practical solutions to tackle climate change."
– The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

"Our government is proud to support this important modernization project, which will make Carleton University more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. We know that providing access to high-quality education and modern training facilities is critical to building the highly skilled workforce we need to support good jobs and economic growth."
– The Honourable Yasir Naqvi, MPP for Ottawa Centre

"This strategic investment furthers Carleton's leadership in green technology, digital communications, big data and cybersecurity research. We have made great strides in these fields, and we are committed to leading the way in the future—both in Canada and abroad."
– Dr. Roseann O'Reilly Runte, President and Vice-Chancellor, Carleton University

Quick facts

• The Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario are providing more than $950 million for research infrastructure at institutions across Ontario. Carleton University has been awarded $22.5 million by the Government of Canada for two projects that will support sustainability and green initiatives on campus.
• The recently launched Innovation Agenda is designed to ensure Canada is globally competitive in promoting research, translating ideas into new products and services, accelerating business growth and propelling entrepreneurs from the start-up phase to international success.
• The targeted, short-term investments under the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund will promote economic activity across Canada and help Canada's universities and colleges develop highly skilled workers, act as engines of discovery, and collaborate on innovations that help Canadian companies compete and grow internationally.
• The Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund supports the Government of Canada's climate change objectives by encouraging sustainable and green infrastructure projects.

Associated links

• Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund website
• Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund backgrounder
• Innovation Agenda backgrounder
• BuildON

Follow Minister Bains on social media.
Twitter: @MinisterISED

SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Philip Proulx, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, 343-291-2500; Media Relations, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, 343-291-1777, [email protected]