NEWS RELEASE COMMUNIQUÉ

 

 

For Immediate Release 2009ALMD0012-000200 August 6, 2009

Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development Industry Canada

 

$30.2 M BUILDS NEW FILM CENTRE AT CAPILANO UNIVERSITY

 

NORTH VANCOUVER – A $30.2-million investment from the federal and provincial governments will fund construction of a new film centre building at Capilano University and create as many as 192 jobs.

 

Andrew Saxton, MP for North Vancouver, along with Moira Stilwell, Minister of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development, Naomi Yamamoto, MLA for North Vancouver-Lonsdale, MLA Ralph Sultan, MLA for West Vancouver-Capilano and Jane Thornthwaite, MLA for North Vancouver-Seymour, announced the funding today.

 

“We’re investing in infrastructure for colleges and universities to help support the economy in this province,” said Saxton. “By working with the provincial government, we can promote employment and provide the economic stimulus to help get regional economies back on track.”

 

“It has been a pleasure to work with our local film industry and Capilano University partners in getting this project to fruition with support from both the provincial and federal governments,” said Yamamoto. “This is something our community can take great pride in as we continue to showcase our local film-based economy to the world.”

 

“We have been working steadily to make this project a reality for quite some time,” said Sultan. “Capilano University has top-notch programs and this will add greatly to one of Canada’s best film schools, better equipping students with the competitive skills they need to succeed in British Columbia’s burgeoning film industry.”

 

“Capilano University and the film industry are among the central components of the North Shore’s economy,” said Thornthwaite. “This announcement brings together innovation and state-of-art technology that will attract students from all over the world and satisfy local demand for better trained workers while strengthening our local economy through education funding and job creation.”

 

This investment is part of the federal government’s two-year, $2-billion plan to repair and expand research and educational facilities at Canadian post-secondary institutions. The Knowledge Infrastructure Program is helping to provide economic stimulus and promote employment by creating jobs for engineers, architects, tradespeople and technicians. In B.C. the federal government is providing up to 50 per cent of the cost of selected projects on a cost-share basis with the Province.

The new film centre will be approximately 6,400 square metres in size and will serve up to 400 students annually. The $30.2-million construction project will generate up to 192 jobs and will replace outdated facilities with a new state-of-the-art building. The film centre will be built to LEED gold standards under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.

 

“Partnering with the federal government allows us to invest in campuses all over B.C. to give students the best possible learning experience,” said Moira Stilwell, Minister of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development. “By renovating and renewing buildings and campuses, we’re creating jobs that will boost the region’s economy now, and for the future.”

 

Capilano University’s School of Motion Picture Arts is the largest film school in western Canada and offers a wide range of full-time certificate and diploma programs that prepare students for a variety of career paths, including motion picture production, cinematography, costuming and indigenous digital filmmaking.

 

This is one of 11 projects at public post-secondary institutions across the province that will break ground quickly thanks to a joint federal-provincial investment of $64.3 million. This project is also part of an overall $14-billion capital infrastructure program supported by the Province to create jobs and vital public infrastructure in every region of B.C.

 

            “We are extremely grateful to the federal and provincial governments for their investment in a new film centre that will benefit an industry that is so important to the economic development of our region,” said Dr. Greg Lee, president and vice-chancellor of Capilano University. “In particular, I would like to thank North Vancouver MP Andrew Saxton and our region’s MLA’s, Jane Thornthwaite, Naomi Yamamoto, Ralph Sultan and Joan McIntyre, for their continued and much appreciated support.”

 

Canada’s Economic Action Plan sets out to stimulate the Canadian economy over the next two years and to improve our long-term competitiveness through $12 billion in new infrastructure investment, which includes the $2-billion Knowledge Infrastructure Program.

 

            For more information on the provincial government’s three-year job creation plan, visit www.gov.bc.ca/infrastructure. For more information about the Knowledge Infrastructure Program visit www.ic.gc.ca/knowledge-infrastructure.

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For further information (media only), please contact:
	Media Relations Industry Canada 613 943-2502	Lisa Tees Advanced Education and Labour Market Development Communications 250 952-6400 250 888-3466 (cell)

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