Wilfrid Laurier University expanding with new Milton campus

Laurier to open $90-million campus in Milton From CTV Kitchener's Krista Simpson: The province has signed off on a new Wilfrid Laurier University campus to be located in Milton.

Wilfrid Laurier University’s long-desired Milton campus has finally received the province’s OK – and it’s bringing Conestoga College along for the ride.

The province announced Wednesday that it will provide $90 million for Laurier and Conestoga to establish the new campus.

“Laurier’s academic programs in Milton – with a focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics – will meet a growing need for science and technology graduates in the innovation corridor between Waterloo Region and Toronto,” Laurier president Deborah MacLatchy said in a press release.

Laurier has been working with the Town of Milton to land a new campus in Milton for the past decade. The town has set aside 400 acres of land next to the Niagara Escarpment for the campus and an associated neighbourhood.

Of those 400 acres, 150 were donated to Laurier by the town. One-third of the donated land is developable, while the rest is protected Greenbelt land.

“The Milton Education Village is a game-changer for our community and we couldn’t have better partners than Wilfrid Laurier University and Conestoga College,” Milton Mayor Gord Krantz said in the release.

The current timetable calls for Laurier to run its first classes in Milton in September 2019, using leased space. The first building for the new campus is expected to be open by 2021, and the campus is expected to expand from there to ultimately have room for more than 2,000 students.