Investment of $9.62 million in infrastructure at Cégep de Victoriaville will support research and innovation activities

News Release

May 26, 2017 – Victoriaville, Quebec – Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, today announced a historic investment to help equip young Quebecers with the quality post-secondary education that will help them achieve their goals.

The Government of Canada is investing $4.28 million in a project at Cégep de Victoriaville. The funding will help the institution provide students with the training needed to access 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.

Cégep de Victoriaville will use the funds to establish an organic agriculture research facility. The facility will include multi-purpose buildings and greenhouses where work will be done in plant breeding and organic fruit and vegetable production, enabling Canada to be more competitive in the organic food market. Operations of this new research infrastructure will be managed by the cégep’s Centre d’expertise et de transfert en agriculture biologique et de proximité (centre of expertise and knowledge transfer in organic agriculture and local farming).

A total of $9.62 million is being invested in this project:

  • The Government of Canada is providing $4.28 million.
  • Cégep de Victoriaville and other partners are providing $5.34 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 historic 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

“This funding will enable Cégep de Victoriaville to continue to be a national leader in the organic agriculture sector. This is great news for both current and future students, professors and researchers.”

– The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie

“This major investment will allow us to strengthen our position as a leader in the field of organic agriculture in Canada. This is the most significant development project in the Cégep de Victoriaville’s nearly 50-year history.”

– Paul Thériault, Director General, Cégep de Victoriaville

Quick Facts

  • The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, and the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, recently announced that the federal government is providing more than $385 million for research infrastructure at institutions throughout Quebec.

  • Philippe Couillard, Premier of Quebec, and Hélène David, Minister of Higher Education, recently announced that the Government of Quebec would invest more than $345 million in research infrastructure at post-secondary institutions in Quebec.

  • Cégep de Victoriaville has been awarded $4.28 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

Contacts

Follow Minister Bains on Twitter: @MinisterISED

Karl W. Sasseville
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

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