Money main factor in centre location, Keir says
Published Friday June 26th, 2009
SAINT JOHN - Energy Minister Jack Keir insists money was the main factor behind the decision to locate the new Centre for Excellence in Energy and Construction at the local community college, rather than at UNB-Saint John.
Keir told the Telegraph-Journal's editorial board that it would simply cost too much money to co-locate the community college on the university campus at Tucker Park.
"Would I prefer to pick up the Grandview Avenue community college and plunk it out there with (UNB Saint John)? Absolutely, I'd love to do that," said the MLA for Fundy-River Valley.
"But we don't have $100 million, we have $44 million."
The decision to split the two new community college buildings between Grandview Avenue and Tucker Park has drawn criticism in Saint John.
A number of officials believe the city would be better served if the energy centre were built on the UNBSJ campus at Tucker Park, along with the Allied Health Centre, which is due to open in September 2011.
Critics point to Fredericton, where a new $15-million community college campus will be built on the grounds of UNB, joining St. Thomas University and the National Research Council. But Keir said contrasting the situations in Saint John and Fredericton is like comparing "apples and oranges".
He said the capital city doesn't have a university in its north end and a community college in its east side.
"It was somebody trying to make an argument for their position but it doesn't hold water," he said.
According to Keir, the government did its best to keep health and sciences programs bunched together in one location in Saint John, while keeping trades and industrial training together in the other location.
"We're looking for more than just co-locating people in one area"¦ we're looking at educating youth so they come out with the right skill sets," he said. "We want to make sure we do it right and get the synergies associated with both campuses."
Keir also took time in the meeting with the editorial board to reflect on the post-secondary education protests that erupted early in his government's mandate.
Controversy quickly overwhelmed the Liberals' after a report called for merging university and community college campuses into polytechnic institutions.
Angry protests, particularly in Saint John, led to much delay and a watered-down final document.
Keir insists he had no issue with the overall debate, but was unhappy with how the issue was framed.
"It was framed early around UNBSJ closing down. And it was gloom and doom and the sky was falling," he said. "That was absolutely, positively the farthest thing from the truth. We needed the debate on post-secondary education for a long time. Previous governments didn't have the guts to have the discussion and we did."
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