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Ontario's Downtown University/College Expansion Plans

Someone on SSP’s London thread has said that Western is planning something big for central London and details are coming soon. Finally!
That would be great but I wouldn't hold your breath.

Western has had a plethora of "plans" for something big in downtown London for decades and yet nothing ever materializes. Western has always been a VERY poor member of the London community and seems to go out of it's way to be as antagonistic towards City Hall as humanely possible. This is in stark contrast to Fanshawe which has 2 small downtown campuses. I know the guy on SSP to whom you are referring and he said that rumour has it that Western would announce a big new investment in downtown London and that was in Jan/24 and we are nearly at May and still crickets from Western.

Western's announcements for a downtown campus have the same validity as Ottawa's announcements for HSR.............tons of studies, talking points, and grand plans but in the end, everyone knows it will never materialize.
 
If there ever was a city that needed a university, it's Sarnia. Sarnia/Lambton & Chatham/Kent have a combined population of 250,000 but are a glaring gap in Ontario's university options. The closest universities are Western & Windsor which are an hours drive from Chatham and 1 1/2 from Sarnia to Windsor. and an hour to Western. Both have colleges but they obviously don't have the professional options of universities. In CK there is a University of Guelph campus in Ridgetown {about 550 F/T students in a town of 3,000} but it is very specific to agriculture and veterinary sciences so it's not an option for 90% of students.

Even a MAJOR campus of Western in Sarnia would go a long way to filling this void. If there is another new university or large campus of an existing one built in Ontario, Sarnia should be at the top of the list. Both counties have a older demographic makeup and small wonder as going to university requires all the young people to leave and once they see the delights of bigger cities, meet new friends or a partner, do their schooling with potentially an -the-job training portion, and create a professional/social network of professionals in that city in their field of study, it's very hard getting them back.
 
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If there ever was a city that needed a university, it's Sarnia. Sarnia/Lambton & Chatham/Kent have a combined population of 250,000 but are a glaring gap in Ontario's university options. The closest universities are Western & Windsor which are an hours drive from Chatham and 1 1/2 from Sarnia to Windsor. and an hour to Western. Both have colleges but they obviously don't have the professional options of universities. In CK there is a University of Guelph campus in Ridgetown {about 550 F/T students in a town of 3,000} but it is very specific to agriculture and veterinary sciences so it's not an option for 90% of students.

Even a MAJOR campus of Western in Sarnia would go a long way to filling this void. If there is another new university or large campus of an existing one built in Ontario, Sarnia should be at the top of the list. Both counties have a older demographic makeup and small wonder as going to university requires all the young people to leave and once they see the delights of bigger cities, meet new friends or a partner, do their schooling with potentially an -the-job training portion, and create a professional/social network of professionals in that city in their field of study, it's very hard getting them back.

No, Sarnia does not need a university. Lambton College has so much trouble attracting students in the area that they’re one of the most dependent on international students with Toronto private college partnerships.

Anyway, Chatham is more aligned with Windsor and London than it is with Sarnia.
 
Barrie needs a university campus if you ask me. Something that will bring more life to the city than sleazy nightclubs and chain restaurants. It would also have a more populous catchment area than Sarnia, with the explosive growth in Simcoe County and northern York Region.
Would it support a full-fledged University of Barrie? No. But I would definitely support Lakehead expanding operations into a stand-alone facility in the Barrie/Innisfil area.
 
Barrie needs a university campus if you ask me. Something that will bring more life to the city than sleazy nightclubs and chain restaurants. It would also have a more populous catchment area than Sarnia, with the explosive growth in Simcoe County and northern York Region.
Would it support a full-fledged University of Barrie? No. But I would definitely support Lakehead expanding operations into a stand-alone facility in the Barrie/Innisfil area.
Needs to be in downtown Barrie only.
 

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