The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, Humber College and Infrastructure Ontario (IO) announced today that Humber College's new Learning Resource Commons is now complete.

Located at Humber's North Campus in Etobicoke, the new Learning Resource Commons is a six-storey, 260,000-square-foot academic support and student services facility. It is the new main entrance to the campus. Highlights of the facility include:

  • space for more than 2,200 students
  • group and independent study spaces
  • a new library, including a centralized hub for student services
  • a student gallery and showcase space
  • space for the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences and college administration 

PCL Constructors Canada Inc. was selected to deliver the project and construction began in June 2013.  The project reached substantial completion in March 2015, on time and on budget.  At the peak of construction, approximately 150 workers were on site daily, with up to 60 per cent of skilled trades workers from the local community.

The project was designed and built to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Silver certification, incorporating environmentally sustainable construction practices and energy-efficient design.

The Learning Resource Commons opened on April 18, 2015 to host Humber's spring Open House. College employees will move into the new building over the summer months, with full operations and services open to students as of September.  

Quotes: 

Reza Moridi, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities
“Humber College's new Learning Resources Commons will provide students with an innovative space to learn, study and find the supports they need. The completion of this building underscores our government's commitment to giving Ontario students the best possible learning environment.”

Brad Duguid, Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure
“The completion of the Learning Resource Commons is an exciting milestone, and I'm pleased it was delivered on time and on budget.  Through projects such as this, our government is investing in our economy, creating jobs, and building spaces to train the highly skilled and educated workforce that is needed for the future.”

Chris Whitaker, President, Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning
“The opening of the Learning Resource Commons is a significant milestone for Humber students and will profoundly enhance their campus experience. Students will benefit from having more space for study and social interaction along with services such as registration, financial aid, academic and career advising, peer tutoring and mentoring, writing and math centres, a health centre and much more all under one roof.”

Bert Clark, President and CEO, Infrastructure Ontario
“Infrastructure Ontario is pleased to have partnered with Humber College to deliver the new Learning Resource Commons, the first post-secondary project delivered under the AFP model.  We take a great deal of pride in seeing this project completed because we know the positive impact it will have on the community.”

Mike Wieninger, Vice President and District Manager, PCL Constructors Canada Inc. (Toronto)
“Building facilities that enhance the student learning experience to shape the future brings a tremendous source of pride for our team at PCL. With construction complete on time and on budget, we look forward to our continued relationship with our colleagues and friends at Humber College and we congratulate all of our partners on achievement of this important milestone.”

Background: 
IO is a Crown agency of the Province of Ontario that works to deliver public benefits through partnerships with the private sector. IO delivers large, complex public infrastructure projects using a made-in-Ontario modern procurement and project management practice called Alternative Financing and Procurement (AFP). IO also partners with the private sector to manage one of the largest real estate portfolios in Canada, provides municipalities and eligible public-sector clients with loans to renew public infrastructure, and leverages its private-sector expertise to advise the provincial public-sector clients on commercial transactions.

Visit www.infrastructureontario.ca or www.humber.ca for more information.

Contacts: 

Jennifer Asals      
Infrastructure Ontario     
(416) 326-6755    

Andrew Leopold
Humber College
(416) 675-6622 ext. 4296

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