As many as 800 post-secondary students will be added to downtown Barrie, starting in 2025.
Georgian College made the announcement Thursday morning at 55 Mulcaster St., which is the Barrie City Centre building near Collier Street.
“This investment today will change our city forever,” said city businessman Jamie Massie, a partner in Barrie City Centre.
“We are truly on the verge of a change for downtown. The impact of 800 students on our lives, and on the lives of this community, will be substantial,” he added. “It will continue to evolve and the city will continue to move forward, exponentially because of it.”
Georgian will offer a hub of creative programming there for students in areas such as design, visual arts and emerging innovative technologies, to provide increased opportunities for hands-on learning, collaborative partnerships and immersive experiences.
The college is still working through the details about what programs and services will be offered at this new location, starting in 2025, and anticipates sharing an update with more information in the fall.
The new presence downtown will also distribute Georgian students more broadly throughout Barrie, enabling them to live, work and study in various neighbourhoods.
Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall said he was excited by the prospects.
“This is a city-making, change-making day, one that we’ll look back in years and say that’s where we turned the corner,” he said. “Eight hundred young people going to our shops in downtown, learning for the future, getting other skills, their trades in downtown, being able to visit our vibrant waterfront.
“I cannot for a second overstate how important Georgian College’s movement to our downtown is," the mayor added.
Georgian College president and CEO Kevin Weaver said the school is expanding its presence there in a new, highly visible way and as the largest tenant of Barrie City Centre.
“We’ve been committed to downtown Barrie for many years,” he said. “We’re excited to strengthen our contributions to the social and economic vibrancy of downtown Barrie.”
Georgian is a comprehensive college offering more than 130-plus apprenticeship and post-secondary credentials, including certificates, diplomas, advanced diplomas, degrees and graduate certificates.
Weaver said Georgian College passed 100,000 graduates last fall.
