$7.21-million investment will support jobs for Aboriginal communities, expand research and foster innovation
MOUNT CURRIE, BC, Dec. 13, 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 $7.21-million investment in the Tśzil Learning Centre in Líl̓wat Nation 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 Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development.
The investment will be used to replace the existing Tśzil Learning Centre, which currently resides in outdated portable classroom trailers. It has served Aboriginal communities in the region for more than 20 years, providing accredited post-secondary education and certified industry skills training to students from Líl̓wat Nation, N´Quatqua, Skatin, Samahquam, Douglas/Xa'xtsa, and Whistler/Pemberton.
Tśzil Learning Centre will contribute an additional $100,266 toward the project, for a total project value of $7.31 million.
The 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 investments under the fund, 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 create—the high-value, middle-class 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.
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. The new Tśzil Learning Centre project is just one example of our government's strong commitment to our indigenous communities. Our investment will create conditions that are conducive to long-term inclusive growth for all Canadians, which will in turn keep our economy globally competitive. 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."
– The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development
"On behalf of the Province of British Columbia, I would like to acknowledge the Government of Canada for providing the funding needed to replace the Tśzil Learning Centre in Mount Currie. The development of a new purpose-built post-secondary educational facility in the region will create the space crucial to delivering the in-demand skills and education necessary today."
– Jordan Sturdy, British Columbia MLA for West Vancouver–Sea to Sky
"Building a new Tśzil Learning Centre represents a significant step in realizing Líl̓wat Nation's vision for community revitalization. Having a leading-edge facility in our territory that provides post-secondary education, training and academic upgrading will address not only the educational needs of our community but also those of other First Nations in the area and non-First Nations communities in the Sea to Sky Corridor. This exciting development will have positive reverberations for Líl̓wat Nation for generations to come. What was once 'blue sky thinking' will become a reality filled with opportunities for greater success."
– Chief Skalúlmecw Dean Nelson, Líl̓wat Nation
Quick facts
- Government of Canada funding for this project is being provided through the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund. This fund is designed to promote economic activity across Canada and help Canada's post-secondary institutions 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
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]
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