CORNWALL, Ontario – It appears as though there will not be a university campus in Cornwall right away – but perhaps something better is on the horizon.
Instead officials with a steering committee that had been working towards the creation of a university campus in Cornwall have settled on creating so-called “niche programming” at Nav Canada in city that could offer an “air-traffic management” program that partners with Carleton University.
Gary Brown, a director of international training at the Nav Centre, said the “dominos are lining up” to create a training centre for excellence in flight training.
“Hitting the ground running with a program is relatively easy to do,” he added. “Expanding that program will be (more challenging).”
City council Monday night green-lighted a request to fund more work to study the feasibility of creating such programming at the Nav Centre, to the tune of $50,000. The money will likely come from working reserves, but will be repaid next year.
The committee is also seeking $20,000 from the United Counties and $5,000 from private donors.
Such a program would be the only one of its kind in Canada.
“There’s a particular niche here that is probably unique, at least for Canada. You are within an international corridor in aeronautics and aerospace,” said Marc Godbout, a senior director with Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton, the consulting firm that will put together a two-part study on the subject which will include a business plan and review. “Universities are going to be knocking on the doors to find out how they can be part of that niche Cornwall has identified.”
Godbout’s agency will be doing outreach work within the aviation industry, and senior levels of government to drum up interest in the plan.
He added universities would be “very interested” in the proposal because of the research component of the niche programming being planned.
The Nav Centre offers teaching facilities, accommodations and technology, located close to aerospace giants in Montreal.
“It would be great to see it return to its original routes,” said Coun. Bernadette Clement, referring to the facility’s past as a training ground for flight controllers and the like.
Kim Coe-Turner, executive director of the Nav Centre said “we could turn the switch tomorrow” to begin housing university-level programming that would not impact the facility’s conference hosting business.
Council was receptive to the idea – in spades.
“It’s a very exciting idea,” said Coun. Brock Frost. “Just the thought of having this come to fruition is kind of overwhelming to be honest.”
Coun. Andre Rivette said such programming would dovetail nicely with the fact that the city has an airport.
Steering committee member Gerry Benson said the likelihood of Cornwall landing a full-fledged university campus began to soften when it became clear the niche programming currently being considered was not already a reality.
“We weren’t bringing anything new to the table,” he said, adding once that takes place a university campus setting up becomes more likely.
