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Province gives $113m to new Emily Carr campus

After at least a decade of negotiations between the province and the Emily Carr University of Art and Design, B.C.'s second-oldest post-secondary institution is moving its main campus from Granville Island to just off Great Northern Way (GNW) in East Vancouver.

Premier Christy Clark announced a $113 million government investment into the construction of a new facility at a press conference held this morning at the Centre for Digital Media building near where the new campus will be built.

Speaking to media, Emily Carr faculty, and a number of provincial Liberal and federal Conservative ministers including current Minister of Advanced Education John Yap, his predecessor Naomi Yamamoto, and North Vancouver MP Andrew Saxton, Clark spoke of how her maternal grandfather's disdain of a fine arts degree because it wasn't a "useful" degree.

"In his world, that was a degree that would lead you into the medical profession, engineering, law. A degree that would give you a chance for real work!" she said.

"But that isn't true now, the world has changed. Not only can you make a living with a degree in fine arts, we need people with a fine arts background if we are going to succeed and achieve as a country."

Emily Carr Chancellor John (Jake) Kerr says Emily Carr's current campus was built for just 800 students, but currently houses 1,800. As a result the fine arts institution rejects half of the qualified undergraduate candidates and 75 per cent of qualified graduate candidates. The new campus is expected to hold over 1,800 students and include student housing.

The government's contribution to the new school's construction covers almost 85 per cent of the projected $134 million cost.

"We recognize the economy of B.C. has been tough -- it's a hell of a lot better than anywhere else -- but getting $100 million for a university is really quite remarkable," said Kerr.

"We also acknowledge our responsibility to also raise funds from the community to build up this project, and in that regard you should not be concerned for one minute, because once Peter Brown has finished re-electing you as premier, he is the co-chair of our fundraising. So if there is any kind of let-down in the fundraising, premier call him, don't call me."

Tweeting the conversation from Victoria, Tyee legislative reporter Andrew MacLeod pointed out many Emily Carr fundraising committee members have been significant donors to the BC Liberals.

Kerr added that 92 per cent of Emily Carr graduates fine work, either with companies or in their own small businesses. Community, Sport and Culture Minister Bennett highlighted what these graduates bring to the B.C. economy.

"There's a natural resource that's in play in this school that is far more valuable and far more sustainable than any of those resources," said Bennett, referring to B.C.'s forestry, mining, and gas natural resources.

"What the school is doing is basically exploiting this intellectual capacity that we all have for imagination and creativity, and it's limitless. I really appreciate the fact that British Columbia leads Canada in terms of recognizing the importance of creative industries."

Vancouver artists may disagree, however, as loss of art space in the province's biggest city has been an issue for years, most recently highlighted with the eviction notice issued to W2 and the fears of development at the historic Waldorf Hotel venue.

Just a few hundred feet away from where this morning's announcement was made is the former home of the Vancouver Community Lab, an open workshop space for artists, hackers, and inventors, evicted last September from a GNW campus warehouse.

Construction on the GNW Emily Carr campus is scheduled to begin May 2014, and should open its doors in 2016.

Katie Hyslop reports on education and youth issues for The Tyee Solutions Society. Follow her on Twitter.


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