Thompson Unlimited issued an out-of-the-blue news release last Friday afternoon supporting the new University College of the North (UCN) campus in Thompson, although the release doesn't appear tied to any new development in the ongoing saga.
"Thompson is facing a phenomenal boost to its sustainability with the development and operation of the University College of the North (UCN)," said Mark Matiasek, manager of Thompson Unlimited, the city's economic development organization charged with helping to diversify and sustain the economy of Thompson, "Long after the mining industry is no longer a major player," he added.
Matiasek has been general manger of Thompson Unlimited since February 2008. Prior that he'd been the chief administrative officer in Lynn Lake.
"Opportunities, such as UCN, rarely present themselves," Matiasek continued. "The link between education and economic development is inextricable and irrefutable. The implications that the full development and operation of UCN will have upon Thompson and the region will be positive, significant, and sustainable."
He added that local and regional labour shortages can be addressed by pairing training and educational opportunities to unemployed or under-employed youth and adults. "Whether it is to gain the first job or a higher paying job, access to education, training and skills upgrading in northern Manitoba through UCN simply makes economic sense. We need to have this institution developed fully and thriving as soon as possible," he stressed.
The importance of UCN was recognized early in the formation of Thompson Unlimited, which made the development of campus and supporting infrastructure one of its cornerstones for long-term economic development, economic diversity and sustainability.
"We appreciate that UCN's location and development poses challenges to the community; and we are sensitive to the fact that some long-standing community assets may be affected," he said. "But residents of Thompson have pulled together in the past to turn these tough decisions into successful collaborations. We believe we can do it again. We also believe that residents of Thompson recognize the long-term benefits that UCN will bring to their children and grandchildren, not just in the city, but also in the surrounding region."
The new University College of the North (UCN) campus here, announced with great fanfare by former Premier Gary Doer here March 13, 2007, will not be completed until 2013, senior UCN administrator Chris Reddy told city council Nov. 30.
Reddy, an institutional researcher and senior manager of the Thompson campus, is UCN's point man for the multi-million dollar project in Thompson. He also confirmed ground will not be broken now this year, but that UCN expects to have construction under way in 2010. Renovations to the main campus in The Pas are expected to be completed by 2012, he added.
While the student housing component is integral to the new Thompson campus, Reddy said, it is a common misconception people have that UCN will own the housing. Indeed, UCN - and most colleges and universities in Manitoba - own none of their buildings or property. Usually, the Province of Manitoba is the owner, he said.
In the case of the student housing planned for UCN here, Manitoba Housing will own the buildings, Reddy said, but policy and management will be set by UCN. Reddy added UCN is not a direct party to the current negotiations going on between the City of Thompson, which still owns the land the housing is to go on near the Red Sangster Ball Field, and the Province of Manitoba and Manitoba Housing, who the property is to be eventually transferred to by the city.
Likewise, the "client" for the academic aspects of the project is not actually UCN, said Reddy, although many people think it is, but rather the Winnipeg-based Council on Post-Secondary Education.
The provincial agency was created in November 1996 and facilitates the co-ordination and integration of post-secondary services and facilities, reviews and approves university and college programing, develops policy, and promotes fiscal responsibility and accountability in the post-secondary system, the government says.
A major responsibility of the council is the allocation of funds to the province's seven public post-secondary institutions, comprising the University of Manitoba, the University of Winnipeg, Brandon University, Red River College, Assiniboine Community College, University College of the North, and Le Collège Universitaire de Saint-Boniface, which includes École technique et professionnelle.
The council also distributes grants to private religious institutions, which include Steinbach Bible College, Providence College and Seminary, William and Catherine Booth College, and the Canadian Mennonite University. A grant is also provided to the Winnipeg Technical College.
The Council on Post-Secondary Education is intended to act as an intermediary between the post-secondary institutions and the provincial government, and is composed of 11members, including a chairperson.
Thompson Unlimited, the city's economic development corporation, was established six years ago in 2003 based on a simple premise: diversification in the face of the end of nickel.
At the time, Inco, which had set the wheels in motion with a formal legal notice of mine closure, announced funding for Thompson Unlimited of $2.5 million over 10 years to assist with diversifying the economy in Thompson for the post-mining era.
It was originally established in a special 10-year agreement between Inco (now Vale Inco) and the City of Thompson as Thompson Community Development Corporation, but changed its name in 2005 to Thompson Unlimited after finding Thompson Community Development Corporation too unwieldy a name to market the city with.
Thompson Unlimited also targeted visiting 200 local businesses several years ago in an effort to complete an extensive community profile so Thompson could compare itself against similar-sized cities with the same type of geographical situation.
Matiasek has said he believes economic development is a long-term and multi-faceted process that must be predicated on sustainable principles. Vale Inco and the City of Thompson are key partners in this regard and Thompson Unlimited realizes the importance of working effectively with both organizations, he says.
An appointed volunteer board of directors governs Thompson Unlimited with representation from local directors-at-large, the City of Thompson, School District of Mystery Lake and Vale Inco.
In recent years, Thompson Unlimited has focused heavily on cold weather winter testing. "Today winter weather testing in Thompson is truly evolving into a major and world-class industry," Matiasek said last summer. "Our first major commitment came with Ford, when it developed its centre at the Thompson Airport. We are now planning for a permanent facility at the airport. And while we continue to grow our successes in the automotive industry, it is appropriate to expand into the aerospace industry, especially with the recent announcement of our jet engine test facility."
