Feds fund new port Alberni university
Nanaimo-Alberni MP James Lunney, Left, seals the deal with National Institute of Disability Management and Research spokesperson Wolfgang Zimmerman.
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Updated: August 06, 2009 2:46 PM
Port Alberni will be home to a new university after receiving $1.65 million in federal funding from the Knowledge Infrastructure Program (KIP).
Pacific Coast University for Workplace Health Sciences will mainly focus on distance education and bringing new jobs to the area, Mayor Ken McRae said.
"The second round of funding was just announced yesterday by the Prime Minister in Victoria," said James Lunney, MP for Nanaimo-Port Alberni.
"British Columbia will benefit from $35 million in this last round, added and matched by the province in some cases and institutions in others, to a total of $73 million going out into the province," he said.
The Mayor and council members secured land early for the facility, because land availability was crucial to qualify for stimulus funding needed to make the project possible, Lunney said.
The idea for PCU came from Port Alberni's Wolfgang Zimmerman and the National Institute of Disability Management and Research.
"It's terrific because it was the final step," Zimmerman said.
"Four critical pieces had to happen in order for us to get, in four years, from an idea to reality," he added.
Lunney said the new university will bring people to Port Alberni. Not only will it stimulate construction, but it will bring visitors and students to the Alberni Valley to learn about disability management.
According to the event news release, 15 post secondary institutions throughout B.C. will receive funding under the KIP program.
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