Brandon college gets $10-M donation for agriculture hub

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This article was published 16/01/2024 (644 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BRANDON — Calling it a monumental stride toward advancing agricultural education and sustainable practices, Assiniboine Community College has received its second $10-million donation in one month.

In December, local philanthropists Gord and Diane Peters donated $10 million to the ACC School of Business (which will now be called the Peters School of Business).

On Monday, ACC president Mark Frison announced the new donation — from an anonymous philanthropist — is earmarked for the Brandon school’s planned Prairie Innovation Centre for Sustainable Agriculture.

“The $10 million is dedicated to the construction/renovation of the 220,000-square-foot former Parkland Building at our North Hill campus… as part of the Russ Edwards School of Agriculture and Environment,” Frison said.

The new centre is to include expanded and refreshed agriculture and environment programs, a hub for sector engagement and applied research capacity.

One in three jobs in agriculture is expected to go unfilled by 2029, Frison said, adding the college’s plan to address that shortage is to boost its seats in agricultural-related programs to more than 800 from its current less than 300.

“The $10-million donation is part of a larger $20-million fundraising campaign for the PIC, which initially began as a $10-million campaign,” he said. “As the scope of the project expanded, so did the campaign’s goal, as the fundraising efforts have already exceeded the $20-million target.”

The province has played a crucial role in supporting the planned centre, Frison said, committing $10 million last year for detailed final design and including a 216-seat early learning centre as part of the project.

During the 2023 Manitoba election campaign, NDP Leader (now Premier) Wab Kinew pledged an additional $60 million, embedding it after the election in mandate letters to Advanced Education and Training Minister Renée Cable and Agriculture Minister Ron Koshtyshyn.

“Our government is thrilled to work with Assiniboine Community College to expand the delivery of high-quality education that will see students graduate into in-demand, family-supporting careers in agriculture, benefiting our entire province,” Cable said in a news release Monday.

ACC continues its pursuit of a $40-million investment from the federal government, the final piece of the puzzle for the largest community fundraising campaign in western Manitoba history, Frison said.

Along with expanded programming and increased capacity for applied research, the Prairie Innovation Centre will provide a venue for producers, industry, researchers, government and students to come together, solve problems and share ideas, the school said.

In November, Frison told media the project was expected to go to tender in summer 2024. Previous reports pegged construction at roughly 24 months.

In Monday’s news release, ACC described the planned centre as “a one-of-a-kind Canadian college project that will bring together collaborative learning spaces, applied research labs, multipurpose spaces and amenities that will serve both industry and the college community.”

Russ Edwards School dean Tim Hore said the fundraising campaign has seen “strong, steady support,” demonstrating the recognized need for the project in the region and the province as a whole.

“We know it will be a game-changer for agricultural education and industry advancement,” Hore said. “A donation of this magnitude validates that important work of faculty and staff and reflects how our graduates are viewed by the sector.”

— Brandon Sun