Assiniboine College getting $120M to expand ag school, help fill jobs in 'backbone' of Manitoba economy: Kinew

Assiniboine College in Brandon, Man., is getting a $120-million boost from the province to expand its agricultural school and get its long-planned Prairie Innovation Centre for Sustainable Agriculture built — a project Premier Wab Kinew says is critical to filling labour gaps in one of Manitoba's key economic sectors.

Kinew announced the funding Thursday during his state of the province address to the Brandon Chamber of Commerce.

"We know that there are so many jobs that we're going to have to fill going forward into the coming years to be able to keep growing that backbone of our provincial economy," Kinew said. "Assiniboine College's Prairie Innovation Centre is the way to get it done."

The new centre, which has been years in the making, and is expected to offer 16 new or expanded educational programs under its roof.

It will more than double the Russ Edwards School of Agriculture and Environment from about 300 students to 800 students, said Assiniboine vice-president of advancement Derrick Turner.

He says the college researched gaps in agriculture industry training, and the new state-of-the-art facility will help students prepare to work in areas like automation, chemical technology and resource management— all key for supporting Manitoba's evolving agriculture sector.

"I don't think it's any secret that in Manitoba or the Prairies, agriculture drives our economy," Turner said. "[Industry] realizes they need this. We had car dealerships giving us donations towards it, because they know that the ag industry is buying trucks and other implements."

The province said Thursday it is providing $60 million in capital funding, which includes $40 million for the Prairie Innovation Centre and $20 million for a child-care project in the centre. An additional $60 million in bridge funding is being provided to support the build.

The centre has also received $23 million in private industry donations. Kinew says he's still hopeful the federal government will also come to the table with money.

The province contributed $10 million to the project in 2023, under the then Progressive Conservative government, to support its planning and design.

The announcement comes as labour shortages loom over the province's ag industry, which accounts for 7.2 per cent of Manitoba's GDP and provides more than 37,000 jobs, according to a 2024 provincial fact sheet.

A November report from the Canadian government says the agriculture sector expects to see a 15 per cent gap between labour demand and supply by 2030.

According to the college's research, one in three agriculture jobs in Manitoba could go unfilled by 2029 if action isn't taken, said Turner.

More than doubling the number of graduates from Assiniboine's program will be "huge for the industry of Manitoba, and really, the Prairies," he said.

Assiniboine College began formally fundraising for the new centre in the fall of 2019.

The full build will cost $150 million, Turner said.

The Prairie Innovation Centre will be located on the college's North Hill campus, in a former mental health facility that has been empty since the 1990s. It will become the third repurposed building and the largest on campus.

The project will go to tender immediately, with a request for proposals expected this fall. Turner said the centre's construction will also generate spinoff jobs and long-term benefits for Brandon.

"This is a good news story," Kinew said.

"We can start building right away, and it's 1,000 jobs that are being spoken about, not to mention all the additional workers that are going to be able to come out of this new facility once it's fully up and running."