University bid learning experience for Newmarket, Aurora: Van Bynen

YorkRegion.com
April 30, 2014
By Simon Martin

York University’s short list announcement for a possible satellite campus last week left northern municipalities out in the cold.

Newmarket Mayor Tony Van Bynen said York University clearly wanted a campus closer to the heart of the Greater Toronto Area.

“Disappointed would be an understatement,” he said. “We put together a very compelling business case and opportunity. As much as we believe it is our time, it may well be that (less) urban development wasn’t what they were seeking.”

Newmarket and Aurora submitted a joint bid that, ultimately, failed to advance to the next round.

As part of the proposal, the campus would have been built near the Yonge Street and St. John’s Sideroad intersection. The proposed campus site was chosen for its close proximity to the border between the municipalities and featured forested parkland, rivers and streams.

The municipalities did not purchase the proposed site, so there’s no further obligation to it, Aurora corporate communications manager Michael Kemp said.

But the municipalities can learn some valuable lessons from the decision. Staff and officials worked co-operatively toward a common goal and also laid the groundwork for a potential post-secondary campus in the future.

“This was an excellent opportunity for our staff to demonstrate their skills, talents and commitment to making an important community project work,” Mr. Van Bynen said. “We developed a proposal that was very solid in a short time frame. It allows us to get a better understanding of what we need in the future. There’s a lot of other opportunities we should be pursuing. We never say never.”

The joint video presentation will be posted to Newmarket’s website, newmarket.ca, soon, he said.

Even though East Gwillimbury was eliminated in its bid to potentially host a satellite campus for York University, it doesn’t mean the dream of bringing a post-secondary institution to town is dead, Mayor Virginia Hackson said.

“We will continue to pursue other universities,” she said. “We are not going to give up at this point.”

The topic of where to go from here will be discussed at an upcoming council meeting, she said.

The town said a university campus in the region will benefit all municipalities and support the social and economic needs of all residents, but, at the same time, it stings to be left on the cutting room floor after putting a lot of effort and dollars into the project.

It’s very disappointing, Ms Hackson said.

According to the mayor, the town spent $30,000 on its presentation. In 2013, she said it spent $26,000 on the post-secondary attraction project. The original budget allotment was for $375,000, but the town scaled back when it appeared the provincial Liberals had soured on opening more post-secondary institutions.

That all changed in Decemeber when it became evident the province was opening bidding for three new campuses.

Markham, Richmond Hill and Vaughan will participate in a second round of presentations Friday. Following that, a preferred location will be announced and the winning bidder will enter into negotiations with university staff.

A final submission will be made to the provincial government in September.