CORNWALL, Ontario – An agreement between Carleton University and Nav Canada became official Tuesday that could see a variety of pioneering aerospace programs unveiled in Cornwall.
Officials from Carleton, as well as Nav Canada and a steering committee that was created to examine the feasibility of creating a university campus in the Seaway City met Tuesday to celebrate the news.
The undertaking will see a “Centre of Excellence” in aerospace engineering created in Cornwall at the sprawling Nav Canada facility on Montreal Road.
Potential programs will include professional certification courses in the areas of pilot training, air traffic management and airport management. It is expected that additional programs will be offered in the near future, all of which could draw dozens or perhaps hundreds of students to the Seaway City.
“One of Carleton’s central goals is to work with neighbouring communities,” said Carleton President Roseann O’Reilly Runte. “This entrepreneurial initiative brings together the knowledge and skills of those working at Nav Canada and Carleton University in support of economic development.
“Together we will foster regional and international growth through education.”
Next steps include refining terms of reference, outlining the scope of work and creating a business model, with a target of having a small selection of courses operating in the fall of 2016.
“Nav Canada, and specifically the Nav Centre, are well positioned to help bring this initiative to fruition,” said Neil Wilson, Nav Canada executive vice-president of administration and general counsel. “Our Cornwall facilities are ideal for a specialized campus, with its comprehensive learning spaces as well as student accommodations, while our organization’s expertise in air traffic management will support related course delivery and provide access to leading industry technologies and simulation training.”
The aerospace endeavour is just one area of co-operation between Carleton and Cornwall-based organizations. A committee comprised of representatives from Cornwall, Carleton, Akwesasne Mohawk Territory and the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry has been working since 2014 on ways to deliver niche post-secondary programs in Cornwall that build on its economic and cultural profile.
Working with the Ontario government, the committee is focused on developing a collaborative degree program in environmental science, management and stewardship, forging initiatives in First Nations governance and capacity building and strengthening pathways for students between Carleton and St. Lawrence College.
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. The Eastern Ontario Training Board, for example, was the first agency to sign on, providing $7,500.
Gail Kaneb, a member of the steering committee, was “thrilled” with Tuesday’s announcement.
“Carleton is behind us,” she said. “It’s been such a co-operative relationship.”
