President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri says the university wishes to locate a new campus within York Region.
“The new campus will support the social and economic development of the region, will be an incubator for new ideas, and extend our outreach and engagement with our local communities,” says Shoukri, in an email to Excalibur.
York Region approved an economic development action plan in December 2012. One of the main goals of the plan was to attract investment from post-secondary schools.
Shoukri notes a request for proposals will be issued by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities in early 2014, and the university is currently preparing a proposal that will help the school select a site within York Region for a new campus.
Doug Lindeblom, director of economic strategy in the York Region, also confirmed that Shoukri had corresponded directly with York Region’s Chairman and CEO Bill Fisch.
Lindeblom says a university campus within York Region is absolutely critical to the municipality’s future, even though a location for the campus is yet to be determined.
“The region has offered to assist York by working with the individual municipalities to identify potential locations,” says Lindeblom.
Lindeblom understands that further steps won’t be taken until the province of Ontario releases its proposal calls to post-secondary institutions.
A document released by the MTCU states that new university campuses in the province could hold a minimum of 1,000 students, but will have the capacity to expand to 10,000 students.
“[University campuses] stimulate development, generate knowledge that helps businesses grow, [and] they help create a knowledge-based workforce locally that can be attractive for business investment,” says Lindeblom.
Lindeblom says the impact of a university on a region or municipality is in generating potential for significant, direct economic growth, and bottom line dollars into the economy for both the short and long-term.
Michael Burton
Executive Editor (Online)
