Canada and New Brunswick invest in infrastructure at the University of New Brunswick

$24.88-million investment will create jobs, expand research and foster innovation

September 6, 2016 – Fredericton, New Brunswick – Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

The Government of Canada values the role of post-secondary institutions as they help equip young Canadians with the education and training they need for future careers that will help them join a strong, healthy middle class. Today's $24.88-million investment at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) will do just that by fostering the training needed for the well-paying middle-class jobs of today and tomorrow.

The funding was announced today by the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, and by the Honourable Brian Gallant, Premier of New Brunswick.

The Government of Canada's Innovation Agenda aims to make this country a global centre for innovation—one that creates jobs, drives growth across all industries and improves the lives of all Canadians. This investment exemplifies that vision in action and will help create the well-paying middle-class jobs of tomorrow.

The funding will support the Centre for Healthy Living, a green facility providing research and teaching space for the Faculty of Kinesiology, a recognized leader in research and knowledge mobilization in healthy living and health promotion strategies. This new centre will be adjacent to the Richard J. CURRIE CENTER and directly linked to the Andrew and Marjorie McCain Human Performance Laboratory, creating a nationally significant and innovative research cluster in applied health research.

Of the $24.88 million in funding, $16.59 million is federal and $8.29 million is provincial. The university is contributing a further $11.1 million to the project.

In total, universities and colleges throughout New Brunswick will receive more than $111 million from the Government of Canada, the provincial government, the institutions themselves and private donors. Federal funding will be 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.

As a result of these investments, 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.

That is how the Strategic Investment Fund will jump-start a virtuous circle of innovation, creating the right conditions for long-term growth that will yield benefits for generations to come.

On July 4, 2016, the Government of Canada and the governments of the four Atlantic provinces launched,the Atlantic Growth Strategy, which involves targeted actions to stimulate Atlantic Canada's economy, including supporting key infrastructure projects that support long-term growth and position the region to capitalize on emerging opportunities. Today's announcement builds on this commitment.

Quotes

Quick facts

• The Government of Canada is providing close to $50 million for research infrastructure at institutions across New Brunswick. The University of New Brunswick has been awarded $16.59 million for a project at the Fredericton campus.
• The Government of Canada's Innovation Agenda is designed to ensure Canada 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.
• 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.
• On July 4, 2016, the Government of Canada and the governments of the four Atlantic provinces unveiled the Atlantic Growth Strategy, a homegrown, prosperity-focused and evidence-based strategy to stimulate the region's economy and address both long-standing and emerging regional challenges.
• The Atlantic Growth Strategy is aimed at stimulating economic growth in the region by focusing joint federal and provincial efforts and resources on the following five main areas of action: skilled workforce/immigration, innovation, clean growth and climate change, trade and investment, and infrastructure.
• As part of the Atlantic Growth Strategy, both levels of government will work together on key infrastructure projects.

Associated links

• Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund website
• Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund backgrounder
• Innovation Agenda backgrounder
• Atlantic Growth Strategy

Follow Minister Bains on social media.
Twitter: @MinisterISED

Follow the Atlantic Growth Strategy on Twitter: #AtlanticGrowth

Contacts

Philip Proulx
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Innovation,
Science and Economic Development
343-291-2500

Media Relations
Innovation, Science and
Economic Development Canada
343-291-1777
ic.mediarelations-mediasrelations.ic@canada.ca

Tyler Campbell
Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour
Province of New Brunswick
506-453-4090