CONESTOGA KICKS MILTON CAMPUS PLANNING INTO HIGH GEAR

FEATURE

CONESTOGA KICKS MILTON CAMPUS

PLANNING INTO HIGH GEAR

When it comes to Conestoga College establishing a campus in Milton, Ontario, everything old is new again – or, almost everything.

By Paul Knowles

The plan to build a new campus – the Milton Education Village –goes back more than a decade. Conestoga has been working in partnership with Wilfrid Laurier University and the town of Milton to plan for this extensive project. In April of 2018, the government of Ontario announced $90 million in funding for the new development, including a satellite Conestoga campus.

However, only six months later, the newly elected provincial Progressive Conservative government withdrew the funding, and hope for the project dwindled.

That changed in June of this year, when Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced that the province will, in fact, support the creation of new Conestoga and Laurier campuses in Milton, along with a new Schlegel Villages long-term care home in Milton – a facility that will also partner with Conestoga’s health care programs.

However, says Conestoga VP of Finance and Corporate Services Jacinda Reitsma, the announcement does not include any commitment to capital funding. The $90-million pledge has not reappeared. But that does not mean the projects will not go ahead; in fact, Conestoga is committed to development of its Milton campus. Reitsma says funding will come from the same resources that have underpinned several other Conestoga projects in recent years, including the John W. Tibbits campus in Waterloo, and the new 250,000-square feet Skilled Trades campus on Reuter Drive in Cambridge.

Reitsma says that while the recent provincial announcement does not include capital funding, it does confirm an essential commitment – that Conestoga College (as well as Wilfrid Laurier) have approval to establish satellites in Milton. That is the key. As well, she noted, there will eventually be operational funding

from the province, when the programs are underway. Those programs could involve up to 10,000 students.

Capital funding is not an insurmountable challenge, because Conestoga is in a solid financial position, with significant surpluses; funding for the new campus is not a concern “in the long term,” she said.

Reitsma doesn’t rule out the idea of a fundraising campaign, but that decision is yet to be made.

The campuses will be located on 150 acres of land, including a significant amount of conservation lands, originally donated by the town to Laurier in 2008, and now divided between Laurier and Conestoga, along with additional lands to be acquired. The Schlegel Village will be on a separate piece of land, and Reitsma anticipates that Conestoga will be acquiring additional property for the campus, all within the Milton Education Village that is expected to cover about 400 acres.

Reitsma stresses that it less than two months since the latest provincial announcement, and that there are many questions left unanswered about the project. For instance, building plans are still in the early stages of development at this point, although it is expected that Conestoga will be constructing a significantly large, multi-storey building as its main campus facility. How many storeys, and how large is not yet known. She says, “We have a few different options” concerning size of buildings and the order in which they will be constructed.

But in the big picture, she added, “If we reach the goal we want to, it could be a very large project… a big campus… a major initiative.” She says that the project will certainly be “good news” for the construction industry in the area.

Conestoga College President John Tibbits – who has seen the College and its programs grow exponentially in his 34-year tenure as head of the institution – is excited about this latest development. “The new Conestoga-Milton campus will deliver relevant, accessible, career-focused programming that will address local workforce needs, contribute to personal and professional success, and support the well-being and prosperity of the region into the future,” he said.

Reitsma is also excited, but stresses that the new campus is still a work-in-progress – and one in its very early stages. The announcement “doesn’t mean there is a shovel going into the ground the very next day,” she says. It is anticipated that the three partnering entities – Laurier, Schlegel and Conestoga – will see construction underway within three or four years. But there are approvals and plan details to negotiate before any construction can begin. Nonetheless, she says, “We are very committed to make this happen.”

However, Reitsma also notes, “We’re also still in the midst of a pandemic.”

The Milton campus will initially focus on three key program areas – health care, business and IT. In the health care field, Conestoga will work in collaboration with Schlegel Villages to create a living classroom within the planned long-term care facility to support the education and training of personal support workers, registered practical nurses and other health care professionals and build the seniors care workforce – clearly, postpandemic, a high priority emphasis. Reitsma notes, “There will be other program areas as well.”

The VP says that one factor influencing the continual growth at Conestoga is an ever-increasing number of international students seeking to study at the college. She says that there will be little or no transfer of students or programs from other Conestoga campuses. “The plan is for this to be all additional, not to move programs or cohorts.”

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