Investment in infrastructure at Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf will support research and innovation

Funding of $3.95 million will help upgrade facilities and improve energy efficiency

MONTRÉAL, Oct. 20, 2017 /CNW/ - David Lametti, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, along with Hélène David, Quebec Minister of Higher Education and Minister of Status of Women, today announced a significant investment to help equip young Quebecers with the quality post-secondary education that will enable them to achieve their goals.

The Government of Canada is investing $1.60 million in a project at Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf. The funding will help the institution provide its students with the training needed for the high-paying middle-class jobs of today and tomorrow.

Federal funding is 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.

The investment announced today will enable Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf to replace some 550 wood-framed windows in the main pavilion that houses science and information technology labs as well as classrooms and libraries. The original windows, installed in 1928, are not energy efficient and no longer work well. Thanks to this investment, the college will be able to upgrade its infrastructure and improve energy efficiency, which will in turn enable the institution to improve post-secondary education on the Island of Montreal and help stimulate the local economy.

A total of $3.95 million is being invested in this project:

• The Government of Canada is providing $1.60 million.
• The institution and other partners are providing $2.35 million.

In total, universities and colleges throughout Quebec will receive nearly $1.1 billion from the Government of Canada, the provincial government, the institutions themselves and private donors.

As a result of these investments in Quebec, 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.

Quotes

"This investment by the Government of Canada is a 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."
– The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development

"Government of Canada investments in projects such as this one at Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf will create high-quality, well-paying jobs that will help the middle class grow and prosper now, while stimulating economic growth for many years to come. Thanks to the Post-Seconday Institutions Strategic Investment Fund, we are strengthening the foundation of our middle class and firmly establishing Canada as a world leader in innovation."
– David Lametti, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development

"Our government will continue to invest time and money in our students' success. Our commitment is clear: do everything possible to help our students and professors accomplish great things. Significant investments like those announced today are helping ensure the development of our higher education facilities so that future generations have access to state-of-the-art infrastructure."
– Hélène David, Quebec Minister of Higher Education and Minister of Status of Women

"Thanks to the Strategic Investment Fund, Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf will be able to carry out major renovation work on its building envelope in a single phase. The replacement of windows from 1928 will improve the college's environmental sustainability while preserving its heritage. The project will help improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions while providing a high-quality environment for professors and students."
– Michel April, Director General, Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf

Quick facts

• The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, and the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, announced in December 2016 that the federal government would provide more than $385 million for research infrastructure at institutions throughout Quebec.
• Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf has been awarded $1.60 million in federal funding under the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund.
• 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.
• Canada's Innovation and Skills Plan is designed to ensure our country 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.

Associated links

• Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund
• Innovation and Skills Plan

Follow Minister Bains on Twitter: @MinisterISED

SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada