Just in time to beat the cold weather that's sure to come this fall, a new and improved heat source is on order for the College of New Caledonia.
The province announced Wednesday it will provide $3.3 million for power plant and power engineering upgrades that control heating and cooling of CNC's 35-year-old Prince George campus that will also make the building more energy efficient.
The money will also pay for infrastructure upgrades at the college's regional campuses in Mackenzie and Quesnel, including a new water well and septic system at the Mackenzie campus and a new fire alarm and sprinkler system at CNC's trades building in Mackenzie. It will cover an elevator upgrade in Prince George and an improved exhaust system at the Quesnel campus.
"We are delighted to receive this much-needed funding," said CNC president John Bowman. "While the need for these facility improvements may not be obvious to some, we must ensure our infrastructure is in excellent working order to provide the best learning experience for our students. We are very pleased the government realized this necessity and invested in it."
The province also handed out $725,00 in one-time funding for short-term training to allow CNC to offer 32 additional seats in its high-demand power engineering program (16 in Prince George and 16 in Quesnel).
CNC will also increase student capacity for its mining certificate program in Mackenzie, Vanderhoof, Quesnel and Prince George, and will add seats in its heavy equipment operator or construction assistant program in Burns Lake; its introduction to trades in Prince George; and
its hospitality/customer service program for immigrant women in Prince George.
"The College of New Caledonia has been an educational keystone in our region for decades, and trades training institutions are where the future of British Columbia is being realized," said Pat Bell, MLA for Prince George-Mackenzie. "This funding will increase the quality of CNC's learning space as well as save the college money through energy savings."
B.C. taxpayers are providing a total of $30 million of the college's operating budget this year, up from $23.1 million in 2001-02.
