Bernard Trottier, Member of Parliament for Etobicoke-Lakeshore
Toronto, Ontario
November 10, 2014
Check Against Delivery
Thank you, Minister, for that kind introduction.
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you all for joining us today at the new site of the George Brown College Green Building Centre.
It's my pleasure to be here to mark an important milestone.
I'd like to thank George Brown College for hosting us today. As anyone in Ontario knows, George Brown is an important institution in the region, and that it is future-oriented.
This is obvious when we see the Centre for Construction and Engineering Technologies, which is advancing and accelerating smart construction practices and technologies.
The Centre is particularly distinct because of its collaborative style and its partnerships with industry leaders like many of you.
We know that collaborative partnerships are the way to make real progress in the current economic landscape, and the best way to help our innovations get off the shelf and into the global marketplace.
The field of construction, like many other fields, must evolve when new technologies emerge. This, combined with the increasing social environmental awareness, mean sustainable green building has gained value and attention in the last few years.
Canadians will always need buildings, but green building practices help reduce the environmental impact of those structures by facilitating better management of energy and water efficiency, reducing waste, and improving air quality in buildings.
This Centre will conduct applied research in partnership with local businesses while allowing smaller businesses to work closely with students and faculty who specialize in areas like advanced construction systems, green energy and computer-enabled, efficient buildings.
In addition to supporting a projected 160 businesses in research collaboration projects over its first five years of operation, the project will engage more than 450 students in research, and has created 59 new high-value jobs within the centre itself.
The $6.6-million FedDev Ontario investment towards the project has allowed the College to bring together the resources to create a full-scale applied research, technology development, and industry innovation service centre that focuses on green building construction, in partnership with local businesses.
It brings me great pleasure to celebrate the grand opening of the Green Building Centre as I join George Brown College here today. This is a new space to allow industry partners to interact with faculty and students on applied research projects.
This event marks the completion of a great project funded through FedDev Ontario. This is good news for Toronto and all of southern Ontario as this Centre will support research, technology development, and industry innovation among local businesses.
By supporting the growing green building market, our Government is not only helping to create more energy-efficient buildings while creating jobs in southern Ontario, but we are also strengthening Canada's role as a world leader in sustainable building.
I would like to wish George Brown College the best of luck in this project and congratulate the College on today's important milestone.
Thank you.
