CORNWALL, Ontario – Council heard of the progress made by the Cornwall Innovation Centre (CIC) and their cooperation with Carleton University to bring post secondary education to Cornwall.
The province requires that any expansion to post-secondary education in the province must come from existing insititutions.
Kaneb said that Benson had reached out to more than 20 post-secondary institutions in Ontario, and it was decided that Carleton would be a good fit.
Already, Dr. Jeff Ridal of the St. Lawrence River Institute is cooperating with Carleton to offer courses in Cornwall and St. Lawrence College offers an articulation program where its students in certain programs can get seven credits towards their Carleton degree.
“One of Carleton’s central goals is to work with beighbouring communities,” the CIC quoted Carleton President Roseann O’Reilly Runte as saying. “Together we will foster regional and international growth through education.”
The CIC recently announced that they found their home at the Nav Centre. The Centre’s classrooms, international attraction, location and state of the art facilities were cited as the reasons he Nav Centre made for a perfect home for the innovation centre.
The CIC will aim to promote growth in Cornwall through Carleton’s Lead to Win program.
The program is aimed at promoting businesses with a high growth potential.
The Lead to Win program provides coaches, buyers support, employee funding for youth, space to work and more for start-up businesses that can prove growth potential.
In their firs 28 months of opening, the CIC hopes to help launch 15 businesses, assist another 150 and create 100 jobs.
The CIC plans to officially launch in early April.
Councillor Elaine MacDonald praised the CIC team for bringing the dream of a university to Cornwall closer, but questioned whether the Lead to Win program was in the same spirit as the original goal.
“The Lead to Win program is something that requires no additional approval from Carleton,” explained Tom Kaneb. “So we asked, “why not bring it here.” There are educational opportunities through Lead to Win, while there are no formal educational programs, it does embed us closer with the university.”
“Dr. Runte told me this was a low lying fruit,” said Benson. “The opportunity for growth is so drastic that you have to go for it.”
John Rattray explained to Council that the CIC was geared for growth.
“It is all about innovation and job creation and creation of job opportunities here in Cornwall,” he said.
Councillor Carilyne Hebert asked if this was the next step for getting univeristy programs in Cornwall.
“That’s what we’re hoping for,” Kaneb said.
