New Wellness Community Open for Business
Canadore College has officially opened its new living and learning wellness community, The Village.
The only model of its kind in Canada, the facility is focused on collaborative interprofessional education and the integration of Indigenous, Eastern and Western healing and wellness practices. The Village will integrate seniors’ and community care with teaching, experiential skills training and applied research in one facility.
“If there is only one thing that you take away with you today, I hope that it is the fact that The Village belongs to our entire community,” said George Burton, president and CEO of Canadore College. “Even though the centre is situated on campus, it is a holistic and community-centred resource for everyone, designed to improve the health care model from the early years to the golden years.”
The Village encompasses Canadore’s Schools of Indigenous Studies, Health, Human Care and Wellness, and Sport and Recreation, which will offer a comprehensive suite of student-run clinics, including general health, Eastern medicine, dental hygiene and safe mobility. Other labs include cognitive stimulation and early childhood education on-site, as well as specialized Indigenous classrooms and ceremonial areas.
Nursing and respiratory therapist students have been learning in The Village since September 2018. As of January 2019, a total of 1,000 students will move into the space.
Phase One of the facility’s construction and technology is valued at $20 million in total. The federal government invested $5.63 million and the province of Ontario committed $1.78 million. Through generous donations, The Village’s fundraising campaign has raised $2.7 million from non-government sources.
“The most striking aspect of this entire five-year project has been the exceptional level of consultation and teamwork contributed from every possible corner,” said Burton. “Thanks to the confidence of the federal and provincial governments, our students and donors, our employees and amazing community leaders across the province, Canadore has been able to accomplish something that has never been done before. The Village is an unprecedented model of health care that redefines a stronger future grounded in a healthy mind, body and spirit.”
Phase Two of The Village, the seniors’ living facility, is anticipated to break ground in April 2019.
View photos from the event
Canadore College trains people through applied learning, leadership and innovation. It provides access to over 75 full-time quality programs and has outstanding faculty and provides success services to students from nearly 400 Canadian communities and 15 international countries. The College and its students add nearly $244 million to Nipissing Parry Sound Service Area economy. Approximately 1,000 students graduate from Canadore each year, and they join 45,000 alumni working across the globe. Canadore receives less than 50 per cent of its traditional funding from the provincial Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and relies on its own innovation and entrepreneurial endeavors and generous donors for the balance.
