'Historic': $275.5M York University Markham Centre Campus announced

Campus will accommodate up to 4,200 students

Yorkregion.com
July 27, 2020

On the same day York Region moved to Stage 3 of COVID-19 reopening, it also received word that it will finally get its first partially publicly funded university.

After years of lobbying, Premier Doug Ford was on hand in Markham July 24 to announce approval of the new York University Markham Centre Campus.

York University was able to bring about "working capital" by fundraising and securing donations to make the campus a reality, Ford said.

"They worked with all levels of governments, the private sector and their community to get this historic project going," he said.

Funding for the $275.5-million project includes "significant financial commitments" from York Region, the City of Markham, donor contributions and the university's capital funds, the university said in a news release.

The province will provide financial support linked to student enrolment for the campus' operations when it opens in 2023.

"Today we announce the first-ever university campus in York Region," Ford said. "It's truly historic and it's long overdue."

The 10-storey facility will be built on a parcel of land near the corner of Enterprise Boulevard and Rivis Road, worth more than $50 million and donated by the City of Markham.

Construction of the building will begin within days.

"The road for higher education runs through Markham," Mayor Frank Scarpitti said, adding there is "a growing need to access quality post-secondary education," and to have it close to a growing population to "ensure accessible education for everyone".

Construction of the new campus is expected to create about 2,000 jobs and $350 million in "immediate economic benefits," said Ford.

'Growing Fast'

"It’s a city that’s growing fast," Ford said of Markham, citing figures showing how the number of 18-to-22 year olds in the tech-hub municipality is expected to increase by 34 per cent by 2040, "the highest growth rate anywhere in the province".

The new campus will accommodate up to 4,200 students, with the flexibility to respond to future growth demands, the university said in a news release.

After he took office as premier, Ford was criticized for his education cuts, which included the cancellation of funding for the York University campus in Markham in October 2018.

At the time, the campus was planned to open in 2021.

"The people of Markham and York University have stepped up to fill a gap created when Doug Ford scrapped planned university campuses in Markham, Brampton and Milton," Chris Glover, official opposition NDP critic for colleges and universities, said in a news release, reacting to the announcement of the campus' approval.

"Unfortunately, Ford’s refusal to fund this incredibly important campus extension sends the troubling message to universities and colleges that this government will never invest in building, repairing, expanding or making more accessible university and college campuses," he said.

Construction of the new campus is expected to begin within a few days, with doors opening in the fall of 2023, according to a news release from York U, adding the campus will accommodate up to 4,200 students with the flexibility to respond to future growth demands.