Brampton preps for university proposals: Leveraging Infrastructure

NRU
Nov. 23, 2016
Leah Wong

Following the provincial announcement that it plans to create a new post-secondary facility in Brampton, city staff has developed a work plan to lay the groundwork for its role in the development of that facility. With the province focused on creating linkages from post-secondary education to the workforce, the city is considering how local businesses and existing infrastructure can support a new school.

Brampton mayor Linda Jeffrey told NRU that Brampton has all of the right ingredients for a university—it has a young, highly-educated, diverse population and is located along the Toronto-Waterloo innovation corridor.

“It’s a huge opportunity for Brampton,” said Jeffrey. “We’re thrilled that the province has recognized that... it is time for Brampton to get a university.”

In January the province is expected to issue the call for proposals for new post-secondary locations in Brampton and Milton. Brampton strategic development senior manager Michelle McCollum told NRU that the city will support interested universities in their proposals and provide as much information as possible to help. Because the city is uncertain about how the call for proposals will be structured McCollum said it is possible that the city could be involved in more than one application.
 
Staff is starting to assess potential sites for a campus and will work with post-secondary institutions to determine the best locations. McCollum said the city has heard that schools are interested in urban locations, with access to public transit and social infrastructure.

“The universities we interviewed ahead of the announcement were interested in co-locating near transit, recreation centres and libraries,” said Jeffrey. “They don’t want to reinvent the wheel, they want to use existing infrastructure to support their students as soon as possible.”

This is a different approach to planning for a university than Brampton had done in the past. Jeffrey said years ago, when she was previously on council, Brampton had been considering greenfield sites for a university campus.

“I don’t think that’s, from a practical perspective, what any of our partners will be looking at seriously in the future.”

The New Brampton Community Task Force, a group of businesspeople that formed to advocate for changes it feels will improve the city’s reputation, is pushing for the university to be located downtown. Member Manoj Kapil told NRU that there are many services and amenities located downtown that can benefit students including the hospital, GO station and Rose Theatre.

“There are already a lot of ancillary services... for students in downtown Brampton. I feel that this would help bring in the [younger] demographic that doesn’t seem to be in downtown right now.”

The province is encouraging universities to work with local communities, business and other institutions to develop proposals for facilities that focus on STEAM programs— science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. In order to support workers in these areas, the premiers’ highly skilled workforce expert panel suggested the province focus on improving partnerships between educators and employers and close the skill gaps in Ontario.

“[The panel report] spoke about a number of different groups the province wants to target. One being international students, the [second] being Aboriginal students and the third, which is one that most of us have never talked about, is veterans,” said Jeffrey. “Whether you’re a foreign-trained professional or a veteran, how do we find a way to help you stay in the marketplace, refresh your skills and build you to a point that the businesses in Brampton find the perfect employee right here.”

McCollum said the province’s focus on implementing the panel’s recommendations gives the city an indication that the province wants to see a proposal that involves the business community and shows a clear link between university education and jobs.

“The business community in Brampton sees the importance of a post-secondary institution to the community and to them as well,” said McCollum. A local university will create a steady flow of well-educated new workers as students graduate and enter the workforce. “It can provide [businesses] with fresh talent and new ideas that allow them to grow their businesses.”

Jeffrey noted that many employers with operations in Brampton, including Canon Canada, William Osler Health System, Coca-Cola Canada and Amazon Canada, attended the announcement about Brampton getting a university.

“All of these companies make a real investment in their employees... They have the kind of training that is cutting edge,” said Jeffrey. “Whoever our university partner is, they’re going to have to find ways to bring the academics in line with experiential learning. And the business community is way ahead on that front.”

McCollum said the budget for staff ’s work to support the applications will be set through the 2017 budget process. It will include estimates for a possible municipal contribution to the development of the campus. Committee has also asked staff to make recommendations about the future of the mayor’s university exploratory panel, led by former premier Bill Davis.

“[The panel] had a lot of very important discussions with post-secondary institutions. [It] was critical for us to understand more about the landscape,” said McCollum. The task force also did outreach to local stakeholders. McCollum said staff will consider how the members can best assist the city moving forward.

In preparation for the call for proposals McCollum said staff will reach out to the local business community and the existing post-secondary institutions—Sheridan College and Algoma University—as well as other universities that may be interested in submitting a proposal.