A major announcement was made by Conestoga College!
On Friday, December 2nd, Conestoga College announced that it has purchased the building located at 8160 Parkhill Drive in Milton and will be launching it as Milton’s first-ever post-secondary campus.
The move was done in advancement of the development expected along Tremaine Road near the Milton Velodrome that would see Conestoga College join forces with Wilfrid Laurier University to create a joint-campus. This area is known as the Milton Education Village (MEV), and will also include a Schlegel Villages long term care facility. You can learn more about the MEV here.
The Conestoga College campus on Parkhill Drive is expected to be open to students by January 2024. It will focus on supply chain, business, community and social service, and information technology programs. The plan is to have 1500 students upon opening, and then 2000 by the fall of 2024. The current building on Parkhill will be remodeled and shaped for classrooms and learning spaces. The area surrounding the building will then be occupied by portables, which will then be used for other student services.
Conestoga President Dr. John Tibbits estimates the MEV is likely a year away from breaking ground, and there are a number of other parties required to develop that project. This Parkhill campus will allow them to get their foot into Milton sooner, and focus on providing post-secondary education to Milton residents at an earlier timeline. He breaks down the timeline, as he understands it, for the MEV.
During his announcement, Dr. Tibbits jokingly referenced the HBO tv-series Game of Thrones when discussing Conestoga’s method to developing campuses across southwestern Ontario. They currently have campuses in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Ingersoll, Stratford, Brantford, and Guelph. He says they look at Milton as their next “kingdom” that they will “conquer.” He stressed that this relationship between Milton and Conestoga College couldn’t happen without the work of Milton Member of Provincial Parliament, Parm Gill, as well as the Town of Milton and Milton Mayor Gord Krantz.
MPP Gill says this project is something he’s been working on since entering office in June 2018. Five and a half years later, a post-secondary campus will open. He says it’s satisfying to know the hard work will pay off.
Speaking with Mayor Krantz, he says having this campus in Milton will be an advantage to residents and will also attract students from around the Greater Toronto-Hamilton area who want to attend Conestoga College closer to home. He adds that he’s excited for the shovel to hit the ground for the MEV.
