Guelph member of Parliament Lloyd Longfield says this week’s federal budget, with its massive economy-building investments, has a host of implications for Guelph.
New money for post-secondary research facilities and millions in additional funding for academic research are among the potential positives locally.
“The piece that popped out for me was looking at creating Canada as an innovation center,” said Longfield, a Liberal MP. He spent years working to create such a business and training environment in Guelph as head of the Guelph Chamber of Commerce, and through Innovation Guelph. “They’re speaking my language.”
The budget’s provision to invest $2 billion in laboratories and new building projects for colleges and universities provides opportunities for the University of Guelph, Longfield said.
He will begin working immediately with post-secondary officials here to identify those opportunities.
He said $95 million in additional funding for scientific research – federal funding that “has been languishing for years” – could help enhance the vast research component of the university.
“Scientists will have access to more funds for research,” Longfield said, speaking broadly of academic researchers across the country. He added that many of the provisions of the budget are a strong fit for U of G.
“The budget is targeted towards universities, particularly research-intensive universities, and the University of Guelph is one of those,” he said.
He said U of G tends to have projects ready well in advance of announcements, “so they shouldn’t have to dig too long or hard” to identify eligible, shovel-ready projects.
University provost, Charlotte Yates, said Thursday the federal budget is a very good one for universities. She highlighted a few key areas where it benefits post-secondary education, including increasing investment in research, financial commitments to modernizing facilities and infrastructure, enhancing the student loan program, and its emphasis on enhancing aboriginal learning on campuses.
“There’s an emphasis on knowledge and innovation, which reinforces the value and importance of universities, which we really appreciate,” Yates said.
She said there are clear opportunities for the university to submit a proposal for federal funding to modernize infrastructure, which fits well with recent provincial funding of $23 million to expand the Ontario Veterinary College.
The federal commitment to enhance the student loan program is significant for U of G, Yates said, because it will reduce the financial stresses that can be an impediment to academic success.
“This translates potentially into greater access, and greater student success, both of which are fundamental core values of the University of Guelph,” she added.
Yates added that there has been “stagnation and decline” in federal funding for university-based research both in the sciences and humanities. The budget’s support for that research is significant, she said.
“Research has enormous spinoffs for the Canadian economy,” she said. “That will generate huge excitement, and is very valuable to the University of Guelph.”
The budget, Longfield said, is about generating economic growth and job creation.
“When you look at how you build jobs, you invest in education and research, and out of that comes opportunities that can become commercialized, and people that graduate with skills that they can apply to the workforce or develop into new companies,” Longfield said.
He added that the budget’s three-year, $300 million investment to create 35,000 new jobs for young people will also have a local impact, as will the additional student grants for low- and middle-income families.
There is also funding in the green technology area which Guelph Community Energy Initiative may qualify for. “I’m going to be encouraging the city to look at the green technology funds,” he said.
As a new grandfather, Longfield said he was particularly pleased by the “real stuff for real people” in the budget, especially the investments related to young families. Among other things, the government made improvements to the Child Tax Benefit program.
