2005 News Releases
September 21, 2005Government funds new University of Calgary capital projects
Veterinary school and digital library move ahead
Calgary... The University of Calgary is receiving $25.3 million from the Alberta government for several capital projects, including its new school of veterinary medicine and planning for its digital library. The funding comes as a result of the government's First-Quarter Fiscal Update in August.
"These capital dollars will allow the U of C to move ahead with a number of exciting new initiatives - the veterinary medicine program, the digital library and other new projects," said Dave Hancock, Minister of Advanced Education and Technology. "These initiatives will help further establish the university's reputation as a leading institution in Canada, and will be a real benefit to Alberta's students for years to come."
About $16 million will be used to develop the space needed for the new Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. The university will expand its Life Sciences Research Station and, to accommodate the new school of veterinary medicine, will develop a portion of its Health Research Innovation Centre, which is currently under construction.
"I'm very pleased to be able to follow up my announcement of the new vet school a year ago with today's announcement of funding for the bricks and mortar required to support the school," said Dr. Lyle Oberg, Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation. "Alberta will soon be home to the fifth veterinary school in Canada and with this new funding, students will have the facilities they need to address the challenges in animal disease and explore new opportunities to improve animal and human health."
Another $4 million will go toward the planning of the Campus Calgary Digital Library; the Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy; the Urban Campus and the Experiential Learning Centre. These projects will increase space at the university, allowing for more students.
"This investment offers a substantial boost to the University of Calgary's highest-priority capital projects," said U of C President Dr. Harvey Weingarten. "The University has set an ambitious enrolment target to add 7,000 new student spaces by 2010. To make that happen, we need to proceed with these projects immediately. The government has recognized that need."
The remaining funds will be used for building upgrades and repairs that cannot be accommodated through the institution's regular maintenance funding allocations.
A total of $614 million has now been allocated for Alberta's post-secondary institutions under the Government of Alberta's 2005-08 Capital Plan - an increase of $145 million since Budget 2005 was announced in April.
Backgrounder
Quick facts - Capital funding for post-secondary institutions
- The province's 2005-08 capital plan includes $614 million for post-secondary institutions. This includes new funding of $145 million over three years for additional projects, announced on August 29.
- The funding will also support a number of maintenance projects at post-secondary institutions throughout the province.
- $30 million of the $145 million is designated for maintenance projects.
- The Alberta government also identified funding for select infrastructure maintenance projects which address urgent preservation projects throughout the post-secondary system. Projects selected will include those that relate to health and safety issues, and those necessary to avoid serious program delivery disruption.
