Downtown Guelph will soon have new neighbours.
Conestoga College announced that it will be opening a new campus on Macdonell Street where the Co-operators insurance, which will be moving to a new office in 2024, is currently located.
The new campus will augment the college’s existing campus on Speedvale Avenue West and accommodate another 5,000 students plus staff and faculty.
The college will be investing $90 million into the new facility with no additional funding from the provincial or federal governments.
“We have been trying to do this for 30 years but couldn’t get investments so we had to do this ourselves,” said Conestoga president John Tibbits, who held a joint news conference with Guelph CAO Scott Stewart at city hall on Thursday. “We wanted to do it and we knew we had to put money into it if we wanted it to happen.”
Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie, Guelph MP Lloyd Longfield and Guelph MPP and Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner were also at the announcement.
“It’s been talked about it for a while,” Guthrie said, adding it’s been the “worst-kept secret.”
“We had to tread lightly as we moved forward because we wanted to make sure we get to this announcement without any hiccups or hurdles.”
The new campus will the new home for a number of Conestoga programs.
“It will be a full-service campus,” Tibbits said. “Information technology, creative industries, social service, business. There will be a variety of programs.”
According to a news release from the city, Conestoga’s significant investment will support the city’s economic development and tourism strategy by collaborating and addressing emerging workforce needs that support Guelph’s priority economic sectors, including advanced manufacturing, agri-innovation and life sciences.
Guthrie says he is thrilled with the prospect of a new post-secondary institution in the city’s downtown core.
“It’s a huge win for Guelph,” said Guthrie. “The fact that you will have 5,000 students coming here, engaging the downtown core, not only for their academic learnings but also contributing to the economic vibrancy of the downtown.”
Tibbit says there are no plans for this campus to partner with a major university at this time. The University of Guelph currently has a partnership in place with Humber College.
The new campus is expected to open in September 2025.
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