George Brown College continues its commitment to city building and community development by exploring the possibility of expanding our physical footprint to Toronto's Mount Dennis neighbourhood in the Weston Road and Eglinton Avenue West area.
We're partnering with the City of Toronto to explore the potential of growing within this exciting community, which will soon be home to Mount Dennis Station, Toronto's second-largest transit hub. George Brown College President Dr. Gervan Fearon joined Toronto Mayor John Tory, Councillor Frances Nunziata (York South-Weston) and CreateTO CEO Vic Gupta to announce the partnership on Wednesday, April 27.
"In Mount Dennis, we see a community that is brimming with potential, and we are thrilled to be partnering with the City of Toronto to explore the amazing possibility and feasibility of a satellite campus in the area," Fearon said. "Together with the City of Toronto and the local city councillor, George Brown College hopes to forge a future that creates opportunities and meets the needs of students, community members and employers in the Mount Dennis neighbourhood."
Tory said there's been a "longstanding desire" in the Mount Dennis community to attract a post-secondary institution
"Now the real work begins to move this forward to ensure that we can continue to address the growing demands of our city while attracting people from all over the world to one of our city's most established educational institutions," he said.
Improving access to education
The Mount Dennis community is underserved when it comes to post-secondary education options, despite the area's significant population of college-aged students. Our analysis shows many of our students live within the Mount Dennis catchment area, so it makes sense for us to explore a possible expansion in the area.
"I am excited to re-engage and deepen our partnership with the Mount Dennis community," said Kizzy Bedeau, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Grants at George Brown College. "We remain committed to prioritizing access to education, which I believe is best achieved through commitment and an intentional presence within a community. As we explore the feasibility of a post-secondary campus with our partners, I look forward to what we can achieve together to create more pathways to opportunity and economic prosperity."
George Brown has been engaged with the Mount Dennis community in the past, through a partnership with local employer Irving Tissue that involved a two-year program that provided area residents with a pathway to steady employment through job training, education and a paid internship.
Growing with Toronto
George Brown is also working with the City of Toronto on our Master Campus Plan as we develop educational facilities and career-focused programs that bring together community development, job creation and economic growth.
