November 3, 2000
DOWNTOWN RED RIVER COLLEGE
CAMPUS ANNOUNCED BY PREMIER
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Province Commits $31.5 Million
To New RRC Building on Princess Street
Premier Gary Doer today announced $31.5 million in funding for a downtown campus on Princess Street for Red River College.
The announcement features a revised business plan that expands on the original Princess Street proposal by:
- nearly doubling the number of students that will be accommodated at the downtown campus; and,
- reducing the cost per student by more than $1,000 from the original proposal.
"I am delighted to be making this announcement today--a continuation of our ongoing efforts to provide new hope for young people by increasing education opportunities," Doer said.
"By investing in a downtown campus for Red River College, we are investing in the well-being of Manitobans and their families, downtown Winnipeg and the provincial economy. With this initiative, the province, city and Red River College are working together to help young Manitobans achieve their hopes and dreams for a prosperous future."
Doer said a thorough government review of Princess Street and five other potential sites concluded that the Exchange District location offered the maximum benefit to both the college system and downtown Winnipeg while being a cost-effective location for a downtown RRC building.
The premier also thanked Winnipeg Mayor Glen Murray for support that made the project "do-able." The city's support would include extending the Heritage Tax Credit from 10 years to 21, worth up to $15.75 million, and an offer to assemble the land for the province for $1.
"This is the most significant and exciting project to hit Winnipeg's downtown in years," said Murray. "This campus will act as a catalyst for revitalization of our core and the historic Exchange District, bringing new life to our streets, restaurants and stores. It will also showcase the area as one of Canada's fastest growing information technology centres. I want to thank Premier Gary Doer and his cabinet for this strong commitment to Winnipeg's downtown."
Jacqie Thachuk, president of Red River College, said it is gratifying to meet the college's educational objectives while also being a vital contributor to downtown revitalization.
"As the role of RRC continues to expand, this new campus will give us the facility we need to meet our mandate of contributing to the economic and social development of the province by increasing participation in post-secondary education," Thachuk said. "We would like to commend the province for all its recent initiatives in post-secondary education."
The revised Princess Street plan will house 2,020 students, 200 staff and a significant evening student population within a 225,000- square-foot campus. The original proposal was for about 175,000 square feet, 1,260 students and 150 staff. The revised plan also contains room for future expansion and more high-tech programming than was originally proposed.
"The campus will focus on information technology and media programming--leading to careers in the new economy," Doer said. "Programs such as Creative Communications, Information Systems Technology and Advertising Arts are a good fit with the growing number of information-based businesses located in the Exchange District."
Doer said additional technology and business programs are being planned for the campus. These new programs may include partnerships with the University of Winnipeg, University of Manitoba and City of Winnipeg. Discussions about joint initiatives are underway, with announcements expected in due course.
"We pledged to double college enrolment, and today's announcement is a critical component of our College Expansion Initiative," the premier added. "Reducing tuition for post-secondary students while increasing education opportunities is the one-two punch in our fight against chronically low college enrolment."
Doer noted the expansion of RRC caps an exciting week for post-secondary education. This week's announcements include a $100-million private/public capital funding commitment for the University of Manitoba--the largest provincial post-secondary capital investment in more than 20 years.
"We are committed to the renewal of our post-secondary institutions," he said. "It is exciting to see other stakeholders join in our efforts to help Manitoba students and our education system reach full potential."
The construction of the downtown RRC campus is expected to generate at least 536 person-years of employment, a $30.8 million increase in GDP and $8.3 million in taxes to the three levels of government. The building is expected to be ready for first phase occupancy in September 2002.
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Media Backgrounder
Red River College Downtown – Princess Street Promenade
- This plan is significantly expanded from the original 1999 Request for Proposals (RFP) – the project will total 225,000 square feet, accommodate 2,000 students, 200 staff and a significant evening student population. The original RFP described a project of 175,000 square feet, 1,240 students, 150 staff and 400 evening students.
- This means a saving of $1,033 per student per year in terms of the building cost over the original 1999 RFP.
- The capital cost of this project is $31.5 million.
- The site requires the land assembly of the four city-owned historic buildings plus a city public lane, a CPR right-of-way, an additional city property and three commercial properties.
- The building is anticipated to be ready for first phase of occupancy in September 2002.
- The campus will focus on information technology and new media programming – careers in the new economy, linked to the growing industry in the Exchange District.
- Programs run out of the Princess site will include creative communications, computer analyst/programmer, computer accounting technical, information systems technology, advertising art and library information technology.
- Public transit arrangements between the University of Winnipeg and the RRC downtown campus are in discussion.
| Original RFP (Summer 1999) | Expanded Plan (Fall 2000) | |
| Total Project Cost | $25.0M | $31.5M |
| # of Students | 1,260 | 2,020 |
| Square Footage | 171,915 | 225,000 |
| Annual Facility Cost | $3,917,943* | $4,194,400** |
| Annual Cost Per Student | $3,109 /year | $2,076 /year |
* Reflects mid-range quote **Reflects cost of turn-key purchase