Pupatello Press Release

Here it is, hot off the presses. It helps explain what this is all about. It is more than just an Engineering School!

For Immediate Release
Windsor
08/20/2007

MCGUINTY GOVERNMENT COMMITS UP TO $40 MILLION INVESTMENT FOR NEW ENGINEERING CENTRE OF INNOVATION: Ensures Windsor’s Future As A Leader In Automotive And Manufacturing Engineering

The McGuinty government will be providing $40 million in capital funding for a new Centre for Engineering Innovation at the University of Windsor, Sandra Pupatello, Minister of Economic Development and Trade and Dwight Duncan, Minister of Energy together with Bruce Crozier, MPP Essex, announced today. The Centre will help establish Windsor as a primary North American centre for automotive and manufacturing engineering.

"In today's global economy, we've got to be better than our competitors," said Pupatello. "Ontario's future depends on our ability to be leaders in ideas and innovation. With a highly skilled and innovative workforce, the Centre for Engineering Innovation will attract high value research and new investment to the province by strengthening our position as a global leader in automotive and manufacturing innovation."

"Establishing this Centre for Innovation at the University of Windsor is an important win for this community and for the Ontario academic community," said Dwight Duncan. "As Minister of Energy, I'm particularly pleased to know that low environmental footprint technologies will be used at the facility and that it will be built to Gold LEED standards."

The new $110 million Centre of Engineering Innovation (CEI) will be an entirely new university facility and a new approach to engineering. Unlike traditional approaches to engineering education, the CEI will bring industry partners directly to faculty and students to operate research and development and co-op programs. The concept known as a "manufacturing courtyard" will bring industry and academia into much closer contact on a daily basis.

"The University of Windsor has been at the forefront of automotive innovation," said Dr. Ross Paul, President of the University of Windsor. Our new state-of-the-art CEI will boost Ontario's productivity by graduating world class engineers, while strengthening the University of Windsor's reputation for academic excellence, particularly in engineering."

CEI will allow the University of Windsor to expand its Faculty of Engineering's annual undergraduate enrolment from 1,400 to 2,000 students over the next five years.

"This investment in engineering is positive news for Windsor and region," said Mayor Eddie Francis." It will help strengthen our economy, assert our position as the nation's centre for automotive research and help transition us to a knowledge-based economy."

"This capital investment is crucial to future prosperity in the region and enhancement of Ontario's global competitiveness," said Bruce Crozier, MPP Essex. "CEI will help our region attract new investment, particularly in the automotive and manufacturing sectors."

This initiative is part of the McGuinty government's overall strategy for jobs and prosperity that includes investments in infrastructure, postsecondary education, stable energy supply, research and innovation and key economic sectors.

"86,000 more students have the opportunity to go to college and university since our government started - a 22 per cent increase. More students are receiving grants - there are three times as many grants going to 120,000 students," said Training, Colleges and Universities Minister Chris Bentley. "The University of Windsor's new engineering centre will add to the new opportunities we've created for Windsor students."

This is just one more example of how, working together, Ontarians have achieved results for the economy. Other job creation initiatives include:

• Ontario's automotive investment strategy has leveraged more than $7 billion in new investments and anchored thousands of high-value jobs


• The $500-million Advanced Manufacturing Investment Strategy provides repayable loans interest free, for up to five years, to support investments in technology and innovation. The innovative projects supported by this strategy will generate nearly $465 million in new investments and support the creation or retention of about 3,500 jobs.


• Building east-west partnerships to help Ontario manufacturers tap into opportunities flowing from Alberta's oil sands, which are expected to generate projects worth more than $100 billion by 2020.


• Aggressive action to boost international trade and investment, including business missions to China and India/Pakistan and expanding Ontario's roster of international marketing centres to ten.