Construction on Laurier University and Conestoga College campus in Milton should start next year

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Published November 1, 2022 at 4:08 pm

laurier in milton

Shovels could be in the ground in a matter of months for the new Wilfrid Laurier University and Conestoga College campus in Milton.

The campus is planned for the Milton Education Village, and it should be moving ahead soon.

More than a year ago, on June 17, 2021, the Ontario government and the Town of Milton announced that a Wilfrid Laurier University and Conestoga College post-secondary education campus, and a Schlegel Villages long-term care facility, would be built at Milton Education Village, a 400-acre site, just south of Derry Road, west of Tremaine Road and north of Britannia Road.

Now plans are coming together and construction could possibly start in March.

“Some of that will start, hopefully, in 2023, which is, of course, only a few months away,” said Milton Mayor Gordon Krantz in an interview with inhalton.com publisher Khaled Iwamura.

The Wilfrid Laurier timeline indicates there will be “shovels in the ground” in March 2023, with the opening planned for fall 2024.

Laurier plans to incorporate Milton’s natural features in the campus design.

“The campus weaves throughout the surrounding natural ecosystem, allowing learning and ideas to flow throughout the campus, from the classroom to the lab and out into the natural landscape,” reads a description on the Laurier site.

The university will offer programming, research and work-integrated learning in the STEAM (science, technology, engineering arts and mathematics) fields, the Town of Milton’s description says.

“This focus is especially suited to the Milton campus, which will be adjacent to Greenbelt lands and the Niagara Escarpment and connect with the neighbouring urban environment,” Laurier notes.

Conestoga says they will work in collaboration with Schlegel Villages to create a living classroom in the long-term care facility to support the education and training of personal support workers, registered practical nurses and other health care professionals and build the seniors care workforce.

“We’re proud to be here and will do everything we can to serve Milton’s people and economy and make this a stronger community,” said Conestoga President John Tibbits. “The new Conestoga-Milton campus will deliver relevant, accessible, career-focused programming that will address local workforce needs, contribute to personal and professional success, and support the well-being and prosperity of the region into the future.”

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