John Milloy, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities: Statement to the Legislative Assembly

Investing In University Campus Improvements

April 14, 2008

Thank you.

Speaker, last Friday, along with my colleagues, Deb Matthews, Chris Bentley and Khalil Ramal, I announced an important new investment by our government in Ontario's universities.

As part of our government's $1.5 billion three-year investment in postsecondary education and training announced in the 2008 Budget, we are providing $200 million in immediate financial support to universities across Ontario.

In fact, to date this year, we have invested more than half a billion dollars in our universities, colleges and training programs.

Our announcement on Friday took place at the University of Western Ontario in their Biological and Geological Sciences Building.

This facility houses some of Canada's best scientific talent.

In this building, some of our brightest students are being trained.

These students will be the leading scientific minds of their generation.

That is what we are investing in today.

And that is who businesses will invest in tomorrow.

This new funding will help universities upgrade and renovate facilities and will provide a better learning environment for students.

It will pay for things like new equipment, improvements to security systems, energy efficiency upgrades and accessibility projects.

Speaker, these investments, coupled with $200 million for university and college campus improvements provided in January, represent an important step forward for our students.

And an important step in building a better Ontario for everyone.

Our government does not believe that cutting services to support unwise tax cuts is the way to ensure a strong future for this province.

We believe in investing in the people of Ontario.

We believe in building a knowledge economy that will be the envy of the world.

We believe that businesses want to invest in markets with a strong, well-educated, highly skilled workforce.

And that, Speaker, is what our investments in training, colleges and universities are about.

Speaker, our government's plan for postsecondary education is one with vision and one focused on helping individual Ontarians reach their full potential.

$6.2 billion in spending by 2010 through our Reaching Higher Plan is already helping people across this province work toward their dreams and build a strong future for themselves.

By investing in our people, investing in our students, we are all building an Ontario strongly positioned to excel in the global economy.

Ontario's strength is in our ingenuity and in the drive to succeed that we all share.

The money we are investing in university campuses today will have an immediate impact in communities across Ontario, creating about 2000 construction jobs.

It will ensure a strong learning environment for our students.

And it will help turn Ontario into a true knowledge economy, able to compete globally.

Speaker, our government believes in the people of Ontario.

Our investments in postsecondary education are designed to help each student unlock their true potential and achieve their dreams.

Thank you.