St. Clair College Receives $32 Million for Centre for Applied Health Sciences

St. Clair College's top priority capital project has received a huge shot in the arm with a $32 million commitment from the federal and provincial governments today. Together, both levels of government are providing new infrastructure dollars toward the building of a Centre for Applied Health Sciences in Windsor. The creation of this Centre will allow St. Clair College to meet the increasing demand for health sciences learning opportunities and will be the new home of nursing, paramedic and allied health programs.

The federal government's announcement was made by Jeff Watson, MP for Essex. Their $16 million contribution is part of the governments $2 billion Knowledge Infrastructure Program. Sandra Pupatello, MPP Windsor West and Minister of International Trade and Investment, and Dwight Duncan, MPP Windsor Tecumseh and Minister of Finance, announced the Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities contribution of $16 million to the project.

St. Clair College has responded well to the need to increase capacity to meet the needs of the community in recent years. The enrolment of St. Clair College has increased from 5,222 to 6,853 in 2008. However continued demand for health care training by high school students and more recently by laid-off workers has pushed the College's capacity to the limit.

“Thanks to the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario St. Clair College will now be able to expand existing programs and develop new emerging programs,” said Dr. John Strasser, President of St. Clair College. “Our medical community has asked us to expand our health care training and education to meet their needs in Windsor-Essex and I'm thrilled to say we can now respond to that need.”

“The investment in St. Clair College will provide a significant short-term economic stimulus for Windsor-Essex and will create hundreds of jobs right here in our community,” said Ron Shaw, Chair of the College's Board of Governors. “This is the boost that our region needs and will in turn grow our student base.”

Ted Farron, a local business leader who was instrumental in moving the health education agenda forward by facilitating Windsor's first medical school at the University of Windsor, was excited with the government's announcement. “This is great news for Windsor and the entire region,” said Farron who is also a member of the College's Board of Governors. “Today's investment in St. Clair College demonstrates that both the federal and provincial governments understand our need to create construction jobs in the short term and provide opportunities for students to receive the education they need for the jobs of the future.”

St. Clair College Receives $4.4 Million for Thames Campus

Today, Mr. Dave Van Kesteren MP for Chatham-Kent-Essex, along with Pat Hoy MPP for Chatham-Kent-Essex announced a Knowledge Infrastructure Program investment of $2.2 million from each government in St. Clair College, Thames Campus.

“This Government of Canada investment in St. Clair College, Thames Campus will provide a significant short term economic stimulus to Chatham-Kent and will create jobs in this region,” said Van Kesteren. “Our government is investing in innovation to create jobs, to help our economy recover quickly and to improve the quality of life for Canadians.”

"Investing in the skills and knowledge of Ontarians is a cornerstone of our government's plan to strengthen the economy," said Hoy. "By investing at St. Clair College - Thames Campus today, the Ontario government is supporting new construction and renovation projects which will create construction jobs in the short-term and provide more opportunities for our students to develop the skills they need for the jobs of the future."

Dr. John Strasser, President of St. Clair College added “This is an exciting day for St. Clair College. This project will provide for the addition of 18,000 sq. ft. of flexible learning space in skilled trades and technology at the Chatham Campus. I am confident that the community will benefit greatly from the enhanced skills of the graduates who will enter the workforce after acquiring knowledge in a modern facility"