Medicine Hat College’s electrical substation is nearing the end of its service life, but the Government of Alberta is covering the total estimated cost of replacing it. This work will help avoid any unplanned power outages and disruptions to daily campus life while also ensuring staff and students have a dependable power supply.
The renewal project will also create about five new jobs in the Medicine Hat region. Under Budget 2020, the Government of Alberta committed $118.5 million to capital maintenance and renewal at colleges, universities and polytechnics. This project is part of a further $98-million commitment, which is expected to create about 533 consistent and well-paying jobs across the province.
“Alberta’s Recovery Plan is an ambitious plan to build, diversify and create jobs. This additional funding will create immediate jobs in the Medicine Hat area and help sustain the high-quality campus experiences Medicine Hat college is known for.”
“Alberta’s Recovery Plan focuses on infrastructure as a critical component for supporting economic growth and jobs for Albertans. This includes investing in shovel-ready projects to upgrade and maintain public facilities, like this post-secondary institution, that help keep Albertans working and stimulate local economies where it matters most.”
“This funding will not only serve my constituents of Brooks-Medicine Hat, but also Albertans across the province. Medicine Hat College provides a high-quality education to many students in southern Alberta and attracts students from throughout Western Canada. Investing in campus infrastructure will ensure that Medicine Hat College can continue to meet students’ needs now and into the future.”
“I am pleased that the government is providing funding for the replacement of the electrical substation at Medicine Hat College. Thank you to the Minister of Advanced Education for recognizing this much needed update. The reliable operation of the college’s electrical system will ensure that the facility will continue providing valuable training to its students.”
"The opportunity to update the college’s 50-year-old electrical infrastructure is welcome. This $850,000 investment will replace our primary electrical service and substation, and replace overhead cables with underground lines. These actions will reduce maintenance costs, and increase the security and stability of our power supply to help sustain college operations for decades to come.”
"The Alberta Students' Executive Council thanks the Government of Alberta for their commitment of $98 million from the Capital Maintenance and Renewal Stimulus Fund. This investment comes at an important time for Alberta's institutions and our economy, a fact well recognized by our university, college, and polytechnic student members. ASEC supports this supplemental capital funding, and remains committed to working with the government in building a modern post-secondary system in Alberta."
“The announcement of the additional funding allocation opens up opportunities for Medicine Hat College to preserve and upgrade the campus by pursuing further infrastructure and maintenance projects, in turn enhancing the student experience.”
In April, the Alberta government announced it was accelerating the capital plan and increasing capital maintenance and renewal spending in 2020-21 to almost $2 billion. Advanced Education worked with post-secondary institutions to identify projects, with a focus on addressing existing maintenance issues, ensuring compliance with building codes and regulations, increasing access to services, and reducing operational costs. Government also prioritized projects that will help create jobs, and are ready for work to begin.
The Medicine Hat College project is part of the more than $10 billion infrastructure spending announced as part of Alberta’s Recovery Plan. This spending includes: $6.9 billion Budget 2020 capital spending, $980 million accelerated for Capital Maintenance and Renewal, $200 million for Strategic Transportation Infrastructure Program and water infrastructure projects, $600 million in strategic infrastructure projects, $500 million in municipal infrastructure and $1.5 billion for Keystone XL.
Alberta’s government is helping create thousands of good jobs for Albertans by building schools, roads and other core infrastructure that benefits Albertans and communities. It will further diversify our economy by helping sectors grow and succeed and returns investment to our province by ensuring we have the most competitive tax environment in Canada.
