In 2017, it was one of the only BC institutions to win a CCI grant award. This continues a trend where BC colleges are receiving comparatively less in CCI grant funding then their counterparts in Ontario or Alberta. Ontario has a program that supports their colleges to access these federal funds.
I asked the Minister of Advanced Education what our Province is doing to access our fair share of this federal grants funding.
[Transcript]
CAMOSUN COLLEGE TECHNOLOGY
ACCESS CENTRE AND FUNDING FOR
INNOVATION PROGRAMS AT COLLEGES
A. Olsen:
The Camosun Technology Access Centre, part of the Camosun innovates program, provides unique and essential services to students and businesses alike. For students, it’s an opportunity to get hands-on experience tackling modern problems and developing the skills needed to succeed in the emerging economy. The problems are brought to students through partnerships with small businesses. The benefit to local companies is access to research and development that they would not otherwise be able to create themselves because they’re too small.
I’ve toured these facilities and know that they present an enormous opportunity for students who attend them. My question is for the Minister of Advanced Education. I know that we have taken great strides in creating new spaces for students at a number of technical institutes and universities, but the Camosun TAC centre is unique in our province. What are we doing provincially to support this groundbreaking program and the critical opportunities it offers its students?
Hon. M. Mark:
We’ve been waiting for nine months to talk about post-secondary and how excited I am as the minister about what we’re doing to invest in students accessing post-secondary education across beautiful British Columbia.
We have an amazing post-secondary ecosystem across B.C. I’ve heard great things about the tech access centre that the member opposite is speaking about. It is truly the only one in B.C. out of 30 centres across Canada. I will be working with the member. I’m committed to working with the member to invest in tech. But if I may, I wouldn’t mind just a moment to talk about how we are investing in tech.
For the first time in a decade, 2,900 seats invested in tech across British Columbia. Camosun is going to benefit from that. They’re going to get 40 new seats because of an injection, an investment, of funding from our government of $200,000 for students to study in web technology programming and engineering graphics.
Those are 21st century jobs that we’re committed to, investing in students. And today is the first day of the B.C. Tech Summit. We’re co-hosting, as government, and we’re proud to be investing in 21st century jobs, new technology and tech all over B.C.
Mr. Speaker:
Saanich North and the Islands on a supplemental.
A. Olsen:
It’s wonderful to hear about the investment of new seats. The Camosun innovates program receives Technology Access Centre Grants — or TAC grant funding — from the federal government as part of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council’s college and community innovation program.
In 2017, it was, as the minister said, one of the only institutes in B.C. to win a CCI grant award. This continues a trend where B.C. colleges are receiving comparatively less in CCI grant funding than their counterparts in Ontario or Alberta. All of the murmuring — this is not new. This has been going on for quite some time.
Since the mid-2000s, Ontario has made a dedicated effort to ensure that its colleges are at the cutting edge of innovation, creating new policy and establishing new programs to facilitate partnerships between small business and colleges. This has put Ontario institutions in a strong position to win the competitive and peer-reviewed CCI awards. My question…
Interjection.
Thank you.
…is once again for the Minister of Advanced Education. The Ontario plan is working. I’m wondering: what’s ours?
Hon. M. Mark:
I’m not going to take the time to talk about what the old government had every opportunity to do when it came to investing into tech, but I will spend all the time that the member would like to talk about our record investments, of having, for the first time, an environmental engineering degree program at the University of Northern British Columbia. The members opposite would love to take credit for all of the talk that they did over the last 16 years, but I’m so proud to be part of a government that acts.
Let’s talk about the new Innovate B.C. that was announced by the Minister for Jobs, Trade and Technology — the new innovation commissioner. The old government had every chance. We’re investing in new technology. We’re investing in innovation. We’re a government investing in people.
I want Camosun to shine, like all of the public post-secondary institutions in B.C., and they’re going to do that with 21st century training.
Check out my last question in Question Period.
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