Instructional Centre will educate students for future, says federal minister of state

U of T Mississauga's newest building, the Instructional Centre, will allow the campus to grow in size and enrolment, and give students a top-class education in a modern state-of-the-art facility, says the Honourable Gary Goodyear, minister of state (science and technology).

Goodyear and local MP Bob Dechert (Mississauga-Erindale) toured the Instructional Centre with Vice-President and Principal Deep Saini on Feb. 24 to see the progress made since the facility's groundbreaking in October 2009. Through the federal government's Knowledge Infrastructure Program and matching funds from the province of Ontario, $70 million was invested in the Instructional Centre and laboratory renovations.

This campus has firmly established itself as an innovative presence in the city and your growing enrolment really speaks to that, said Goodyear, who also serves as minister of state responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. We know that modernizing research and training facilities at Canada's universities and colleges will help us create more high-quality jobs in the coming years. This is particularly crucial here in southern Ontario.

Dechert noted that the landmark' facility features a number of green technologies and has contributed to the employment of about 120 on-site construction jobs and hundreds more in spin-off sectors.

People are concerned about Canada's economic recovery, and this project has been very important to that. Academic institutions, industries and the community need to work together. They are key to Canada's economic future.

Saini thanked both the federal and provincial governments for their generosity. We are extremely encouraged that your governments understand the importance of investing in higher education. This support will have a direct impact on the lives of our students here - giving them much-needed space to learn, study and work in a cutting-edge environment. We urge continued support for funding in these tight fiscal times. We need to prepare our young people to meet the global competitive challenges they will face in the future.

The Instructional Centre, which will be substantially complete by April 2011, features a three-storey atrium, student lounges, a café, quiet study areas, and a full range of classrooms ranging in size from 30 seats to a 500-seat lecture theatre. The building was designed by Shore Tilbe Perkins + Will; Eastern Construction is the general contractor.