Xstrata Nickel gave Collège Boréal $225,000 for its new campus in Timmins on Thursday, the same day the college broke ground for the expansion, said the college's spokesperson Benoit Clement.
“This step represents a strong symbol for northern Ontario francophones who will soon benefit from a campus that reflects who they are and is capable of meeting their needs and those of the community,” said Boréal President Denis Hubert.
The campus will accommodate 400 students in 15 programs (post-secondary, short-term and apprenticeship) and is scheduled to open in the fall of 2009. The campus will house no less than 14 classrooms and eight laboratories or specialized workshops.
The college hired J.L. Richards and Associates Ltd. to design the building and CGV Builders to build it.
“Hiring a local or regional workforce is as important to us as using northern Ontario raw materials,” said Vice-President of Corporate Services Danielle Talbot-Lariviere.
Xstrata Nickel’s donation brings Boréal closer to its goal of raising $1 million for the campus.
Collège Boréal is the first representative of the education sector to be officially designated by the Ontario government under the French Language Services Act.
