Training and Manufacturing Opportunities Translate into City Growth in North Bay

Feb 22, 2019

(NORTH BAY, ONT.) – Today, North Bay’s Canadore College announced a 20-year training agreement with Nigeria’s MiST EDUCare Canada Ltd. and academic space within a new pharmaceutical plant to be established within the city.

Approximately 200 Nigerian students are expected to attend Canadore College each year as a result of the training arrangement, which primarily focuses on programs in nursing and respiratory therapy.

“Today is a very important day in the development of global collaborations between our two great countries, Nigeria and Canada, as MiST and Canadore College jointly open up new opportunities in healthcare and technology capacity building,” said professor James Makinde, President and CEO of MiST EDUCare Canada Ltd., a division of World Care Canada. “Canadore College is an innovative, progressive and entrepreneurial community-oriented institution and as such is our natural choice for partnership.”

While the initial motivation behind the collaboration was rooted in training for health care fields, Makinde says the groups have also begun to explore opportunities in areas of media, aviation, and advanced manufacturing. Meetings with college officials this week also included provisions for outbound student and faculty exchanges.

The Village at Canadore College has also attracted the attention of a group of private investors interested in establishing a pharmaceutical plant in Canada. As announced today, North Bay has been chosen as the site location for a 100,000 sq. ft. facility, which will include 4,000 sq. ft. of academic laboratories and classroom flex space for Canadore College; 55,000 sq. ft. of production space; 15,000 sq. ft. of warehouse space; and 15,000 sq. ft. allocated to laboratory and administration rooms.

The plant’s first phase represents a $45M investment and early estimations project that 120 new jobs will be created, of which the company plans to hire locally for at least 90 per cent of the complement. The facility will produce 5-10 products, which will remain undisclosed to maintain competitiveness within the sector.

“North Bay is a perfect location for our plant given its many advantages,” said Frank Suraci, executive vice-president of World Care Canada. “From a corporate standpoint, the city presents many strategic economic advantages. It is also cost efficient to live in North Bay comparatively speaking and families can enjoy a high quality of life in every way possible. Perhaps most importantly however is the capacity to train employees for a stable and qualified workforce through Canadore College.”

Suraci goes onto say that the college will help to develop workforce capacity through training new recruits and will also be engaged to carry out professional development for its employees in the areas of laboratory technology, manufacturing processes, quality assurance, robotics, building maintenance, critical environments and administration.

A handful of sites within the city are being considered for the new build and the company intends to make a decision in the spring based on a feasibility study and community needs. Suraci says that if all goes well with the land acquisition, services and plant certification, the plant will break ground in the spring of 2020 and be open for business in 2021.

“Canadore College is thrilled to be working with MiST EDUCare and the pharmaceutical plant,” said George Burton, president and CEO of Canadore College. “These partnerships bring us closer to connecting people, education and employment through applied learning, entrepreneurship, leadership and innovation. These opportunities will help our community to diversify, grow and thrive over the long haul.”

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.

www.canadorecollege.ca

For more information, please contact: Jessica Charette at 705.475.2538 or jessica.charette@canadorecollege.ca; Carrie Richmond at 705.474.7600, ext. 5216 or carrie.richmond@canadorecollege.ca

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