The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Canada’s minister of innovation, science, and economic development, announced on May 9 that the Government of Canada will be investing in the infrastructure of The King’s University in Edmonton, Alta.
“Federal program representatives visited King’s,” said Ellen Vlieg-Paquette, vice president, administration and finance, at King’s, “and observed what is taking place in our buildings and heard about the scholarship our faculty are engaged in.”
The $297,500 grant to King’s will be used to re-roof library, central academic building, and fine arts building. The re-roofing project will make the roof much more energy efficient. The university will also install solar panels to generate energy for its own use and reduce its consumption of on-grid energy. The King’s will provide an additional $307,500 for the project.
The Alberta government excludes The King’s University from infrastructure funding on the basis that King’s is not provincially owned, Vlieg-Paquette explained. The federal government, however, has been generous. In 2009, King's received $1.5 million from the federal government under the Knowledge Infrastructure Program. This enabled King’s to enhance its campus with research labs, technology, and renovations. This time, the amount is not so large, but it is encouraging and it certainly helps. “This work will also assist The King’s University to achieve greater energy efficiency and sustainability, so this investment is certainly welcome,” acknowledged Vlieg-Paquette.
The federal government will provide up to $2 billion for infrastructure on Canadian campuses over the next three years through its Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund.
About the Author
A former nurse and chaplain, Janet Greidanus is a freelance news correspondent and long-time writer of the In Memoriam column for The Banner.