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New University...where should it go?

There's a case that Brampton deserves something more than the secondary Sheridan campus. The OPP lands would be an excellent site, close to downtown and the GO/VIA station and in the city itself. But Robertson was also an idiot - and the last small town-type mayor Brampton had. He also tried to go after the Chiropractic college (the site is now the YMCA) and was only able to get a rock from Newfoundland shipped over to go in front of his sports palace.
 
scarberiankhatru said:
I still say the Penetang/Midland area would be great...far enough away that the kids won't come home every weekend, but close enough to be on the GTA's radar (so kids will actually go there). Many cottages on various lakes would make great houses. Both Midland and Penetanguishene are small enough that adding a university could turn them into real college towns.

There's also no reason Seneca, Humber, and Centennial, among others, couldn't be like 50% larger.
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I doubt cottages would make economical student housing, but it's a nice thought.
 
I was going to say Mississauga deserves it's own university, as I always say, but Brampton is in even worse shape now that y'all bring it up.

I guess Mississauga can survive just on UTM for now. U of T could open a satellite campus at Brampton. It's time for a UTB lol.
 
ShonTron said:
There's a case that Brampton deserves something more than the secondary Sheridan campus. The OPP lands would be an excellent site, close to downtown and the GO/VIA station and in the city itself. But Robertson was also an idiot - and the last small town-type mayor Brampton had. He also tried to go after the Chiropractic college (the site is now the YMCA) and was only able to get a rock from Newfoundland shipped over to go in front of his sports palace.
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He was the last mayor Brampton had, period, before Ms Fennell......you/I may not have agreed with him on things but explain to me how seeking a University, a chiropractic college and a hockey arena make him an idiot?

I would imagine, either, a university campus or a chiropractic college would have been good for Brampton.
 
For Scarborough, I still don't get why UTSC can't expand. Get rid of that massive parking lot now that the SMLRT is coming in to service the school and build more school buildings in their place. In the east, there's also the UOIT campus at Durham college. And as someone mentioned before, why not expand the colleges with more of those applied degrees. It's ridiculous not to maximize the educational infrastructure we have in place.

I stand by my assertion that it's a waste to pump out thousands of liberal arts grads with few applicable employment skills who would be much better off (and happier) learning something more practical in college...with the option of earning a degree down the road. If we want to have a successful human resources base in the city we need something more effective than the current three way choice: no education, few college diplomas or liberal arts/science university degree. We need to emphasize applied degrees, trades and apprenticeships, college diplomas, applied university programs like business and engineering more. We have to get away from the mentality that a university degree is a universal right and merely a continuation of high school. Just think of what the impact will be if all we do is simly pump out ten thousand more BAs and throw em on the job market.
 
TOareaFan said:
He was the last mayor Brampton had, period, before Ms Fennell......you/I may not have agreed with him on things but explain to me how seeking a University, a chiropractic college and a hockey arena make him an idiot?

I would imagine, either, a university campus or a chiropractic college would have been good for Brampton.
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How about having a street named for himself while still in office? Or his subsequent conviction under the Real Estate Act? Or his stupid Newfoundland rock?
 
I'll choose Hamilton. It needs help in it's transformation from an industrial centre to a services centre. It's totally underitilized as a sattelite city to Toronto and as a city in it's own right.
 
I am surprised no one has mentioned central Toronto as a good location for a new university.
 
ShonTron said:
How about having a street named for himself while still in office? Or his subsequent conviction under the Real Estate Act? Or his stupid Newfoundland rock?
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Presumably, other members of council had a say in the naming of Peter Robertson Blvd? Or did he get that through when he was the only one at work one day.

Funnily enough, his real estate act problems (I honestly can't remember wether they were criminal or misconduct type charges) make him, at least, the 3rd former mayor of Brampton in my adulthood who got "in trouble" after leaving office.....and we thought all of the bent politicians were in Vaughan or Illinois!!

I really don't recall anything about the rock at the arena...tell me more!.....but, in your first post, were you suggesting he was an idiot for going after a university or a chiropractor's college?
 
On the off chance that another university were to be created in Kingston, it would have to be called Banting University. Reruns of Degrassi: The Next Generation would then start making more sense to me.
 
I'm with Keithz on this one. I think universities should become more exclusive, not less, and while we're at it, the basis for entrance should be something beyond your marks in the final two years of high school. Reference letters from high school teachers, a standardized SAT-like test and a sample of academic writing should be a must. I do not want to TA another undergrad student who can't think critically or write a coherent sentence.
 
TOareaFan said:
I think it has been done!
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True, but the York campus could easily double the amount of classroom capacity, add new residences, and still have space left over. (With the right density, of course. :D)

Seriously, though, I thought Seneca@York was an intriguing way to go. It would be great to see continued transformation of the York campus into a high-density knowledge node -- and, if anything, the Spadina extension more than justifies increased density at that location.

This would, presumably, require unbundling the administration of the physical campus from York University proper. From what we have seen of the latter, however, that may not be such a bad thing.
 
Utsc ++

Keithz: For Scarborough, I still don't get why UTSC can't expand. Get rid of that massive parking lot now that the SMLRT is coming in to service the school and build more school buildings in their place.

****

Have no fear the U of T has BIG expansion plans for UTSC.

There are already a couple more buildings approved in principle.

But U of T actually wants to REDUCE undergraduate enrollment at St. George Campus and shift that, plus take on new growth at Scarborough and Mississauga campuses.

They're also looking at new athletic facilities at UTSC, possibly in conjunction with the Pan Am bid; and expansion of the Centennial College facility on site, as well as dealing with the new public transit lines.

I think very little surface parking will survive on the campus beyond the next 10-15 years.

HOWEVER

That does not begin to address the level of demand for undergraduate services in GTA.

York will take a bit more growth but not much, as they really want to grow their graduate programs.....they are salivating for a med. school.

****

My thought is that the only sites we can realistically consider, other than the Portlands are other large public land holdings, mostly likely, but not necessarily existing Community College sites.

You don't want to build in outer greenfield areas.

More sprawl should be avoided and good transit connections are important.

Possible Sites:

Public Lands

Lakeview Generating Station (Mississauga - Waterfront)
Seaton (subject to building the community and obtain GO and DRT Service)
Sheridan College - Oakville Campus
Cambridge - Large City Landholdings - (Requires full-day GO Service)

Private Lands (old mall or industrial sites that are large enough)

GM Oshawa (the truck plant) (has spur line rail access in place)
Brampton Nortel Lands (there is vast surplus land here)
Downtown Oshawa (various vacant parcels)
 
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