The Nova Scotia Community College Institute of Technology campus in north end Halifax is getting a $6-million makeover.
Construction began yesterday on an expansion and renovation project that will include building a new library and student learning commons.
“For the first time, thanks to this project, the IT campus will have a learning commons. A place where learners can gather, study, prepare and imagine what they might do,” said NSCC President Joan McArthur-Blair.
The project is scheduled to be completed by September 2010. It is jointly funded by the provincial and federal governments, with each kicking in $3 million.
The expansion is just one part of the $2-billion Knowledge Infrastructure Program, an economic stimulus fund that requires provincial governments to match spending.
In total, NSCC will be getting $17.5 million from the fund, covering several projects. Premier Darrell Dexter said when everything is worked out between colleges and universities, the total money flowing to Nova Scotia could be close to $100 million.
“This has been a very successful program for Nova Scotia. It’s actually above the per capita funding rate,” Dexter said. “It’s something closer to what we’ve been asking for in the past, per student funding.”
