Prime Minister Stephen Harper announces next round of funding for British Columbia Universities and Community Colleges

August 05, 2021

VICTORIA – Students and staff at British Columbia post-secondary institutions will be able to take advantage of new, expanded and improved facilities thanks to a major new job-creating investment contained within the Harper Government’s Economic Action Plan.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today joined British Columbia Minister of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development, Moira Stilwell, to tour the joint federal-provincial infrastructure project at Royal Roads University, one of 29 new and expanded facilities already being funded by the Knowledge Infrastructure Program contained within the Economic Action Plan.  

“These investments are examples of how our Economic Action Plan is helping people on Vancouver Island and throughout British Columbia,” said the Prime Minister.  “Work on these facilities creates jobs today.  These facilities will help prepare graduates of Royal Roads and other post-secondary institutions for the jobs and opportunities of the future.”

The new facility at Royal Roads University will support research in several areas, including human-computer interaction, computer-mediated communication and media production.  This project is expected to be completed by next summer. 

The Prime Minister also announced that 12 post-secondary institutions will receive funding through a second round of Knowledge Infrastructure Program investments.  These new investments include $35 million from the Government of Canada, $33 million from the Government of British Columbia and almost $5 million from other sources, including the institutions themselves. 



Backgrounder

CANADA’S ECONOMIC ACTION PLAN

THE KNOWLEDGE INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM

The Knowledge Infrastructure Program is a two-year, $2-billion economic stimulus measure supporting infrastructure enhancement at post-secondary institutions across Canada.

The Program funds deferred maintenance, repair and expansion projects at universities and colleges, responding directly to the need indicated by post-secondary institutions to improve existing campus infrastructure across the country.  Much of this infrastructure is near the end of its projected lifecycle and, in many cases, is not adequate for today’s research and teaching activities.

The Program has two components. The university component gives preference to projects that can improve the quality of research and development at the institution. The college component supports projects at other post-secondary institutions, such as colleges, publicly funded polytechnic schools and institutes of technology, which strengthens their ability to deliver advanced knowledge and skills training. 

The maximum share of funding for eligible projects from all federal sources is 50% of total eligible costs.  The remaining 50% of the project funding may come from the eligible recipients themselves, provincial or territorial governments, the charitable sector, the private sector, or others as appropriate. The exception is institutions accredited by a First Nations Government or the Government of Canada, where the federal government may fund up to 100%.

Construction projects funded through the program help create short term local jobs and economic activity.  Projects are assessed on their ability to enhance research capacity, support the attraction of new students and provide a better educational experience for the highly skilled workers of tomorrow. 



KNOWLEDGE INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM INVESTMENTS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS

Through the second round of funding under the Knowledge Infrastructure Program, the federal government is investing $35 million in 15 projects at post-secondary institutions throughout British Columbia.  The Province of British Columbia and others are providing an additional $38 million in funding for these projects, bringing the total value of projects supported by second-round funding to $73 million.

Over $202 million was provided for British Columbia post-secondary institutions under the first round of the Knowledge Infrastructure Program, leveraging an additional $253 million from the province and other sources.

The following projects are among those that will receive funding under the second round of the Knowledge Infrastructure Program in British Columbia.  For more information on a specific project, please contact the institution.

Institution	Project Description	Federal Contribution ($000’s)	Provincial and Other Contribution ($000’s)
Camosun College	Learning Commons	1,890	2,110
Capilano University	New Digital Media / Film Centre Building	14,290	15,090
Emily Carr University of Art and Design	Renovations to Mitchell Building and Granville Island Campus	500	526
Justice Institute of British Columbia	Development of Training Track for emergency operations training	2,000	2,000
Kwantlen Polytechnic University	Richmond Campus Library expansion/renovation to accommodate increased needs	559	656
Kwantlen Polytechnic University	Langley Campus renovations to expand and improve learning environment	872.5	872.5
Langara College	Remediation of vacated space for additional classroom and study space	1,175	1,175
Northern Lights College	Energy House – Education and Research Facility focusing on Alternative Energy programming	3,880	3,880
Okanagan College	Expansion/renovation of trades training facility in Salmon Arm to increase access	500	500
Simon Fraser University	Surrey – Podium 2 (expand infrastructure)	4,683	5,317
Vancouver Island University	Powell River Trades Facility – Powell River Campus	475	501
Trinity Western University	Norma Marion Alloway Library	298	298
Trinity Western University	Neufeld Science Centre Expansion	1,655	1,655
Trinity Western University	Information and Communications Technology Upgrade	661	661
Pacific Coast University	New PCU education/research institution on Disability Management and Research	1,650	2,250