Feds + Province Make Major Investment in Northern Lights College

August 22, 2016

DAWSON CREEK – The federal government and province of BC have collaborated together on a $33.02‑million investment at Northern Lights College (NLC) that will provide opportunities for a new state‑of‑the‑art learning facility.

The funding was announced by Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, and Mike Bernier, BC Minister of Education and MLA for Peace River South, on behalf of Andrew Wilkinson, BC Minister of Advanced Education.

The Government of Canada’s Innovation Agenda aims to make the country a global centre for innovation—one that creates jobs, drives growth across all industries and improves the lives of all Canadians. This investment exemplifies that vision in action and will help create the well‑paying middle‑class jobs of tomorrow.

The funding will enable NLC to build a new training centre for its skilled trades programs. The new building will replace the World War II‑era structure currently in use. The Government of Canada is contributing $14.57 million and the Province of British Columbia is providing $15.06 million toward the $33.02‑million cost of this project.

NLC and private partners will contribute an additional $3.39 million. Private partners contributing to the new Northern Lights College trades building at Dawson Creek include Canbriam Energy Inc., Encana Services Company, Shell Canada and TransCanada PipeLines.

The project will support Indigenous learners as they prepare for careers in the skilled trades. It will also increase apprenticeship enrolment, address barriers that prevent student success and improve completion rates for Indigenous learners.

Construction is expected to get under way in summer 2016, with occupancy in early 2018. The project itself will create 133 direct and 102 indirect jobs during development.

Nearly one million job openings are expected in B.C. by 2025 due to retirements and economic development, and nearly eight out of ten of those openings will require post‑secondary education and/or skilled trades training.

Share This