Red River College (RRC) in Winnipeg has announced that it had gotten word from the prime minister’s office, Manitoba cabinet minister Jim Carr and the Western Diversification Office that $40.6 million in federal funding is in place for RRC’s new innovation centre.
The project’s fate had been uncertain since March, because it could not be completed in time to reach a deadline originally set by Ottawa.
The Winnipeg Free Press reports that after months of negotiations — and worry over the project’s future — the federal cash will now flow albeit from a different — and as yet undisclosed — program.
“We’re obviously very excited about the project,” RRC president and CEO Paul Vogt said. “It allows us to continue with some very innovative programming that I think is really going to reshape the future of the college.”
While the funding issue held up construction, the summer building season is far from a total loss, Vogt told the newspaper.
“The main issue was being able to pour the piles and the foundation because of the issues around curing cement. Given that the season for doing that runs into mid-October that will allow both the foundation and the framing work to be done in this construction season.”
During the delay, the project’s design was completed and some construction tenders were let, Vogt said.
