CORNWALL, Ontario – Officials are expected to announce a partnership between Nav Canada and Carleton University concerning new aerospace programming at an event next week.
Media are being invited to an announcement regarding a “new initiative in Cornwall,” Carleton said Friday in a release. The announcement will be made by Carleton President Roseann O’Reilly Runte. Statements from Neil Wilson, executive vice-president of Nav Canada as well as other special guests will follow.
Officials with a steering committee that had been working towards the creation of a university campus in Cornwall earlier this year settled on creating so-called “niche programming” at Nav Canada that could offer “air-traffic management” programming that partners with Carleton University.
Gary Brown, a director of international training at the Nav Centre, told city councillors in April the “dominos are lining up” to create a centre for excellence in flight training.
City council this year approved 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 committee also sought funding from the United Counties and private donors.
Such programming would be the only of its kind in Canada.
Partnerships for programming with Akwesasne are also in the works.
The Nav Centre in Cornwall offers teaching facilities, accommodations and technology, located close to aerospace giants in Montreal.
Kim Coe-Turner, executive director of the Nav Centre has indicated previously her facility could begin housing university-level programming that would not impact the facility’s conference hosting business.
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.
