Living with Lakes Centre receives over $5 million

The Vale Inco Living with Lakes Centre at Laurentian has received $5.2 million from Industry Canada's Knowledge Infrastructure Program.

All funding has now been secured for the $20 million project, and construction should start as early as August, 2009.

"The Vale Inco Living with Lakes Centre has continuously generated public and community support," said Dominic Giroux, Laurentian University president, in a news release. “This investment will create in Sudbury a cutting-edge environment restoration centre that will be the catalyst for northeastern Ontario's burgeoning eco-industry."

Today's $5 million announcement is in addition to the $15 million raised so far by the university for this project: $5 million from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, $4.5 million from Vale Inco, $2,475,000 from FedNor, $2 million from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, $800,000 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Innovation Trust, $150,000 from the F. Jean Macleod Trust, $100,000 from the City of Greater Sudbury, $25,000 from the Holcim Foundation, and $50,000 in private pledges.

The Vale Inco Living with Lakes Centre will create construction jobs in Sudbury and, within five years, between 30 and 40 skilled positions, including research chairs, professorships, technical experts, post doctoral fellows, graduate student, and undergraduate student positions.

Existing and potential partners for the Living with Lakes Centre include the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of the Environment, Natural Resources Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, other universities and colleges, mining companies, as well as municipal and community-based sustainability programs.