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The Ontario Government has announced today that it has plans to invest in a new Centennial College facility at the former de Havilland manufacturing plant at Downsview Park, several kilometres north of Downtown Toronto. This investment will help support the partnership of Centennial College and Canadian aerospace company Bombardier, which seeks to train people to work in this ever-growing industry.
Located adjacent to the Downsview Airport, an area currently under intense renewal, this new facility will house Centennial College's renowned aviation programs as well as create a hub for other aerospace training and research work including an innovation and research working group that will join industry leaders and academic partners under one roof, allowing greater collaboration and integration. Premiew Kathleen Wynne is a proponent of this collaborative approach, stating: "For Ontario’s important industries to grow, we need to make sure employers have the support and workforce they need. This project is a great example of how we can help support continued growth in our aerospace sector while connecting more people with great careers."
Some of the academic and industry partners that form the Downsview Aerospace Innovation and Reasearch (DAIR) working group will be housed in the facility includes University of Toronto's Institute for Aerospace Studies, Ryerson University, York University, Centennial College, Bombardier, Pratt & Whitney Canada, Honeywell, UTC Aerospace Systems, MDA Corporation and Sumitomo Precision Products Canada Aircraft, Inc.
Other parts of the Downsview Airport lands have been developed as Canada's first urban National Park, as residential lands, as industrial lands, as commercial areas, while some remains with the Department of National Defense. A Downsview Park subway and GO station on the Spadina line extension is currently under construction where the rail tracks cross Sheppard Avenue.
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