At the City of Thompson's last council meeting March 16, mayor and council heard a report regarding the new proposed area for student housing at the new University College of the North (UCN) location after the former location - the Red Sangster ball diamond - was scrapped.
In late January city officials met with representatives from Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation (MIT) and Manitoba Housing in Winnipeg to discuss the project, and the city was told that the student housing site was being relocated from the ball diamond to the western portion of the campus site. Since then the city and MIT have been in discussions to negotiate a development agreement and subdivision for the site. Gary Ceppetelli, director of planning and community development with the City of Thompson, says "non-monetary" issues are currently being dealt with between the two groups.
Thompson Unlimited and UCN have been working on a public relations campaign over the last month or so citing the benefits of a new campus for Thompson and Northern Manitoba. On Feb. 19, MIT, Manitoba Housing and UCN all sent formal letters to the city indicating that the location of the student housing was officially being moved from the baseball diamond to the most westerly part of the campus site. The letters also requested city council pass a resolution approving the revised location.
The City of Thompson then met with Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO) and the National Association of Career Colleges (NACC) on Feb. 24, along with the three ministers responsible for the UCN project - Minister Steve Ashton, with MIT, Minister Kerri-Irvin Ross with Housing and Community Development, and Minister Diane McGifford with Advanced Education and Literacy. During the meeting Ceppetelli says the province "re-confirmed" their commitment towards the UCN project.
Ceppetelli goes on in his report to say that MIT, Manitoba Housing and UCN are currently in the process of setting up a public information meeting for residents of Thompson to talk about the UCN project as a whole and the relocation of the student housing site.
City council passed a resolution approving the relocation of the student housing project in principle subject to a public information meeting sponsored by UCN, MIT and Manitoba Housing to take place in the near future.
