York University wants to set up York Region campus

YorkRegion.com
March 10, 2014
By Sean Pearce

York University is interested in establishing a York Region campus, regional chairperson Bill Fisch says.

During last Thursday’s regional committee of the whole meeting, Mr. Fisch told council and staff that talks between the region and the Toronto post-secondary institution were ongoing and that he expects to see something in writing this week.

According to Mr. Fisch, the correspondence will inform the region of York’s interest in pursuing a new campus in one of the nine local-tier municipalities.

“I think I may be receiving, today or tomorrow, a letter from York University telling us that they want to set up a new campus here in York Region,” he said. “They are hoping to arrange, as soon as possible, a meeting with each municipality to tell them why York University should proceed with that location.”

“I think I may be receiving, today or tomorrow, a letter from York University telling us that they want to set up a new campus here in York Region,” Bill Fisch said. “They are hoping to arrange, as soon as possible, a meeting with each municipality to tell them why York University should proceed with that location.”
He urged mayors and regional councillors to ready themselves and their local municipalities for such a request from the school in the near future. At the same time, he cautioned them that nothing is certain yet and that the circumstances could change based upon the criteria put forward by the university or if the province makes a sudden shift in direction.

Several municipalities, East Gwillimbury, Vaughan and Aurora among them, have previously expressed a desire to attract a university campus and it isn’t hard to see why. The region’s research indicates that hosting a new campus brings with it several significant direct and spin-off benefits for the community, economic strategy director Doug Lindeblom said, such as new jobs, higher spending and also drives investments in buildings and equipment.

“They can also help with community building and lifestyle enhancements by elevating a community’s brand and profile and by supporting in areas such as community programming and downtown revitalization,” Mr. Lindeblom said. “York Region is the only municipality in North America with a population in excess of one million people with no university campus.”

Mr. Lindeblom went on to note that the province released its major capacity expansion policy framework for post-secondary institutions in December. The policy lays out a process whereby the province will issue a call for expansion proposals to the various institutions this year, he said, explaining all proposals are to be reviewed by the ministry with the final decision being made by the provincial cabinet.

The policy framework and the plan to build new campuses or expand existing ones is part of the government’s commitment to provide funding for 60,000 more post-secondary spaces, Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities spokesperson Tanya Blazina said. The hope is the new policy will ensure that the right spaces are put in the right places, thus giving more students access to a post-secondary education closer to home, she said,

And while she couldn’t comment on specific municipalities, Ms Blazina did note that the government recognizes that having a local post-secondary institution is an attribute many towns and cities desire for the future. The government intends to try and strike a balance between what communities and institutions desire and what the province needs based upon factors such as innovation, capacity and growth among other criteria, she said.

“Municipalities interested in being considered as host locations for future major capacity expansions will be expected to work in collaboration with institutions that would be prepared to submit a proposal,” she added.

Representatives from York University were unavailable for comment.

The policy framework and the plan to build new campuses or expand existing ones is part of the government’s commitment to provide funding for 60,000 more post-secondary spaces, Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities spokesperson Tanya Blazina said. The hope is the new policy will ensure that the right spaces are put in the right places, thus giving more students access to a post-secondary education closer to home.