For Immediate Release
May 25, 2009

MAJOR INVESTMENT IN OTTAWA’S POST SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS
Investment will create jobs, stimulate local economy

(OTTAWA), Ontario — Ottawa’s post secondary institutions are receiving $158.5 million
from the Federal and Provincial governments to repair and build new infrastructure on
campuses across the City of Ottawa.

The Honourable John Baird, Canada’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister and the
Member of Parliament for Ottawa West-Nepean, The Hon. Jim Watson, MPP Ottawa
West-Nepean and Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing; Royal Galipeau, the
Member of Parliament for Ottawa-Orleans, and Yasir Naqvi MPP for Ottawa-Centre, made
the announcement today at Carleton University.

• Carleton University: $52.5 million to support the Waterfront Project that will add
  facilities to house the Faculty of Public Affairs. The project expands Carleton’s
  capacity by 1,100 undergraduate and 500 graduate students.
• University of Ottawa: $80 million to renovate and add a tower to Vanier Hall.
• La Cité collègiale: $26 million to build a new 911 institute. An additional 300
  students will receive training in emergency services, and additional space will be
  created for students in health and sciences programs.

This investment is part of the federal government’s two-year, $2-billion plan to repair and
expand research and educational facilities at colleges and universities across Canada and
Ontario’s commitment to invest $780 million in its colleges and universities to modernize
facilities and boost the province’s long-term research and skills training capacity over the
next two years.

"Our Government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, is pleased to
support university learning in the City of Ottawa," said Minister Baird. "In supporting
knowledge and innovation, we are creating jobs, stimulating our economy, and investing in
our future.”

"Today's major announcement is great news for Ottawa's post-secondary institutions; it is
also very timely for local construction workers,” said Mr. Galipeau.

These joint investments are to help provide economic stimulus and promote employment
by creating construction jobs as well as employment for engineers, architects, other
tradespeople and technicians. They are also helping to improve teaching facilities and
generate the advanced technological infrastructure needed to keep Ottawa’s colleges and
universities at the forefront of scientific advancement.

"Carleton has increased student numbers, raised the quality of its programs, improved
student retention rates and greatly expanded its research funding," added Roseann
O'Reilly Runte, President, Carleton University. "Today's announcement serves not only to
acknowledge that effort it also marks an important investment in the futures of our
students, our province and our country."

"The University of Ottawa applauds the Governments of Canada and Ontario for this most
significant capital funding contribution", said Allan Rock, President of the University of
Ottawa. "The federal and provincial governments have demonstrated real foresight and
prudence by investing in research and post-secondary education in the Ottawa-Carleton
region.”

“Between now and 2013, La Cité collégiale expects to train 4,000 students in its various
postsecondary programs. This very significant investment will allow the college to serve a
larger number of Francophones and to help meet the ever-growing need for qualified
emergency services and health care workers,” said Andrée Lortie, President of La Cité
collégiale.

Canada’s Economic Action Plan sets out to stimulate the Canadian economy over the next
two years and to improve our long-term competitiveness through $12 billion in new
infrastructure investment, across Canada which includes the $2-billion Knowledge
Infrastructure Program. This new support is the next substantive investment in the
Government of Canada’s multi-year Science and Technology Strategy, Mobilizing Science
and Technology to Canada’s Advantage.

Through the 2009 Ontario Provincial Budget – Confronting the Challenge: Building Our
Economic Future – the province is investing $32.5 billion in infrastructure for Ontario over
the next two years, including a $5 billion contribution from the federal government, that will
support more than 300,000 jobs and strengthen Ontario’s economy. These investments
build on the Ontario government’s five-year, $30 billion ReNew Ontario infrastructure
investment plan, which was completed in 2008-09, one year ahead of schedule.

LEARN MORE

Learn how the Government of Canada is investing in Ontario infrastructure.
Learn how the Government of Ontario is helping to build and revitalize infrastructure
across the province.
To learn more about Canada’s Economic Action Plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.
Learn more about provincial solutions for Ontario.

Chris Day
Office of Canada’s
Transport and
Infrastructure
Minister, 613-990-
7720