Students at the Langley campus of Kwantlen Polytechnic University are enjoying improved access and enhanced services in support of their studies with the completion of an extensive rebuild project at the Langley campus.

Mark Warawa, MP for Langley, and Naomi Yamamoto, Minister of Advanced Education, joined executive, faculty, staff and students to celebrate today's grand re-opening.

This project refurbished the entire west wing of the Langley campus student services area, creating a student gathering place for the Langley campus - something that students of the campus never had before.

Kwantlen received more than $1.74 million from the provincial and federal governments for this renovation project through the Knowledge Infrastructure Program, part of both governments' commitment to repair and expand research and educational facilities at post-secondary institutions.

This was among 39 projects at post-secondary institutions throughout the province that were part of the Knowledge Infrastructure Program, a joint federal-provincial investment designed to renew infrastructure at post-secondary institutions across B.C. while also providing local jobs for communities.

Quote:

John McKendry, acting president of Kwantlen Polytechnic University -

"Kwantlen Polytechnic University is proud to showcase this beautifully renovated space specifically designed to meet the needs of our students and the departments that serve them. It has benefited Kwantlen enormously in upgrading the Langley campus to support our role as a polytechnic university. We are very thankful to the federal and provincial governments for their collaboration under the Knowledge Infrastructure Program, as this project could not have gone ahead without their financial commitment."

Quick facts:

Students at Kwantlen's Langley campus have access to a wide variety of resources that include:

• Cutting-edge science labs, a botany lab, Venlo-style greenhouses, polyhouses, container and in-ground nurseries.
• A horticulture field lab that has gardens and beds that provide a full range of maintenance levels found in residential and commercial landscapes.
• A 250-seat auditorium that provides superior acoustics for rehearsals and concert performances
• Music classrooms, teaching studios and individual practice rooms specially-designed for music instruction from solo to orchestral performances.

Learn more:

Kwantlen Polytechnic University: http://www.kwantlen.bc.ca/home.html

Institute for Sustainable Horticulture: http://www.kwantlen.ca/ish.html

Knowledge Infrastructure Program: http://ic.gc.ca/knowledge-infrastructure

A backgrounder follows.

Media Contacts:

Joanne Whittier
Communications Manager
Ministry of Advanced Education
250 952-6400

Gary Toft
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Gary Goodyear
Minister of State (Science and Technology)
613 943-7599 Nicole Lotz

Manager, Marketing & Communications
Kwantlen Polytechnic University
604 599-2385

BACKGROUNDER

Oct. 12, 2011 Ministry of Advanced Education

Knowledge Infrastructure Program

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 total investment in these projects is over $520 million including contributions from institutions. The projects are 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.

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

Media Contacts:

Joanne Whittier
Communications Manager
Ministry of Advanced Education
250 952-6400

Gary Toft
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Gary Goodyear
Minister of State (Science and Technology)
613 943-7599

Nicole Lotz
Manager, Marketing & Communications
Kwantlen Polytechnic University
604 599-2385