Con. College and Lakehead U. get $11.4 million for training initiatives

Major new training and academic initiatives at Thunder Bay’s Confederation College and Lakehead University will benefit from investments of more than $11.4 million from the Ernie Eves government, Northern Development and Mines Minister and Chair of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) Jim Wilson announced.
The NOHFC will invest $4.9 million in Confederation College’s Aviation Centre of Excellence, part of a partnership to developing the aerospace industry in northwestern Ontario. Another investment of $1,642,000 will go toward the college’s Forestry Centre, an innovative alignment of new and existing programs to more effectively meet the needs of the forest industry. Together these centres of applied education form the college’s Alliance of Excellence.
“The Ontario government recognizes the tremendous promise and potential these initiatives hold for the entire region and we join our partners in investing in a bright future for Northwestern Ontario,” said Wilson. “Developing these centres of advanced technology an excellence represents a total investment of more than $83 million in the region. Fostering new activity in the region’s aerospace, forestry and other high technology sectors will go a long way toward providing a new career opportunities for young people and position Thunder Bay as an international centre of excellence.”
“The Aviation Centre of Excellence and the forestry centre were developed in close consultation with industry to ensure the sectors’ needs are met,” said Confederation College President Patricia Lang. “We are elated with the provincial investments we have received and we look forward to accommodating the first classes in our new aviation facility and delivering a new forestry program this fall.”
Lakehead University will benefit from a $4.9 million investment from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund to develop the first phase of its $49 million Advanced Technology and Academic Centre (ATAC). This initiative will see the establishment of a unique, state-of-the-art training facility focusing on a multitude of technological applications in software and control engineering, mathematics and computer sciences.
“Lakehead’s long-term vision in support of regional development is to build and sustain the critical mass of resources needed to develop a successful innovation cluster in our region,” said Lakehead University President Dr. Fred Gilbert. “Support from the provincial government is welcome and critical to leveraging investments from our other partners to make this vision a reality.”