Colleges Ontario

Elizabeth Church
EDUCATION REPORTER
The Globe and Mail
May 21, 2009

The leaders of Ontario's 24 community colleges say millions of dollars in campus repairs and new construction are at risk unless the province and the federal government quickly settle their differences and allow building to begin this spring.

The new money, part of $2-billion in infrastructure spending for universities and colleges promised in the most recent federal budget, requires agreement between Ottawa and each provincial government and territory on a set of projects before the money is handed out. While such agreements have been reached in British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Alberta and Yukon - and Manitoba yesterday - no such deal has been finalized in Ontario, the college leaders say.

The province, home to the largest concentration of postsecondary students in the country, is expected to get about $780-million from Ottawa for university and college building projects and the province has pledged to match that amount.

While the two levels of government struggle to reach an agreement on which projects to fund, campuses are missing out on the prime construction season when students are away. Each week of delay also makes it increasingly more difficult to meet the program's tight two-year deadline to complete work, the presidents said.

"That window is closing and it is closing fast," said Linda Franklin, president of Colleges Ontario, which issued a pointed statement yesterday after a two-day meeting of school presidents.

"We are still waiting for decisions that are wrapped up in federal-provincial discussions about this funding."

The college presidents are the latest group to express frustration at the pace of decisions being made on the federal stimulus efforts. Earlier this month, municipal leaders were equally critical of how little ground has been broken on new construction projects - a sharp contrast to the urgent tone expressed in the January budget.

In the case of the colleges, Ms. Franklin said the matter is especially urgent since many schools are expecting to welcome more students this September, including many workers who are seeking retraining. Demand is up by 7 per cent, she said, making the need for new and expanded facilities even more critical.

A spokeswoman for John Milloy, Ontario Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, said the minister is working with Ottawa on the initiative, noting that it is a federally led project. "His primary interest is to see capital dollars roll out as quickly as possible," she said.

A spokesman for Industry Minister Tony Clement said that the federal government and the province are close to an agreement and are in discussions over a list of proposed projects.