Assiniboine College’s new Prairie Innovation Centre for Sustainable Agriculture is getting a major financial shot in the arm from the provincial government.
In a release this afternoon, the province announced they were providing $60 million in funding and a further $60 million in bridge financing. They said this will expand workforce training opportunities and support the future of agriculture.
“Manitoba’s agriculture sector is critical to our province’s economy and to staying resilient against Trump’s tariffs,” said Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew. “The Prairie Innovation Centre will house new and expanded training, so Manitobans can learn the skills they need to get good, in-demand Ag jobs here in Westman and across the province.”
According to the release, $40 million of the $60 million in funding will go towards the Prairie Innovation Centre while the remaining $20 million will be set aside for a new 216-seat child-care project within the centre. The $60 million in financing is to allow construction to begin right away on AC’s North Hill Campus.
“We are pleased the province is providing the financing for the Prairie Innovation Centre, said Mark Frison, president, Assiniboine College. “It is an important project that will help to improve value-added processing and export development capacity in the agriculture sector. Today’s commitment allows us to go tender immediately. We look forward to working with the province to finalize participation of the government of Canada in the project.”
The Premier added he expects this construction to bring in almost 1000 jobs.
