November 16, 2006
Alberta students will benefit from a multi-million dollar investment in post-secondary facilities. The University of Calgary, the Banff Centre, Red Deer College and Olds College will all receive additional capital funding as a result of the second quarter fiscal update.
A total of $162 million will be used to renovate and build these facilities, including a $16 million investment in equipment for the World Skills competition, to be held in Calgary in 2009. After the competition, the equipment will be used by post-secondary institutions, leaving a legacy for the future.
The $162 million will be provided as follows:
- the Banff Centre — $27 million to build new facilities to replace Donald Cameron Hall
- Red Deer College — $10.3 million to expand training facilities for apprentices
- Olds College — $10 million to develop a new equine innovation centre
- the University of Calgary — $99 million to build the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine ($64 million) and Child Development Centre ($35 million)
The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine will train as many as 30 new veterinarians a year. It will specialize in large-animal medicine, and will work closely with the Faculty of Medicine to train vets to detect, contain and wipe out diseases that can spread from species to species and affect humans. This will help ensure a safe food supply.
The school will be the fifth veterinary school in Canada.
With the $64 million, the government has now committed $80 million in capital funding to the veterinary school. This is in addition to $47 million over four years for operating costs, which was announced last year.
The U of C Child Development Centre will be the first interdisciplinary child development centre in Canada. It will provide direct child care services to families and combine:
- research
- education
- training
- policy development
The centre will also be used by the Calgary Health Region to address child development issues related to children’s health.
This capital funding is a result of the government’s second quarter fiscal update. The Alberta government’s 2006-09 Capital Plan now includes $1.4 billion for new and renovated post-secondary facilities, an increase of $247 million since Budget 2006.
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