Stakeholders say there is still hope for a Ryerson University campus in Brampton despite the Ontario government’s announcement last week it was pulling provincial funding for the project.

According to Brampton West MPP, Amarjot Sandhu, his PC government is still willing to work with the city and university as long as it doesn’t involve capital funding.

“I’d like to first remark that of course I, like many parents and prospective students in Brampton, would love to have a university campus in our city,” he told the Brampton Guardian in an emailed statement.

“I would like to reiterate that we are not against a university in Brampton. Our government would be willing to consider a business case for the Ryerson proposal in the absence of capital funding,” he added.

The Ford government announced on Oct. 23, that it was cancelling funding for three university expansions, including $90 million promised by the previous provincial Liberal government for a downtown Brampton Ryerson University satellite campus.

Funding for a York University/Seneca College expansion in Markham, as well as monies for a Wilfrid Laurier University/Conestoga College expansion in Milton also got the axe.

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Sandhu said the reason for the government’s decision was a larger than expected budgetary deficit.

“Thanks to the Independent Commission of Inquiry, we found out that the Liberals were running a $15-billion deficit and lying to the taxpayers about it. Our government is now given the task of cleaning up the fiscal mess they left behind. Unfortunately, that involves some hard choices on the part of our government,” he said.

The $15-billion figure cited by Progressive Conservatives includes some spending on Liberal promises that has not yet happened, including for the university campuses. Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk has forecast this year’s shortfall at $11.7 billion.

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Both the city and its new mayor, Patrick Brown, are optimistic the project can be saved, assuring residents discussions with Ryerson and other stakeholders to find alternative sources of funding are underway.

“We are looking at all options for advocacy and continuing discussions on solutions to bring a Ryerson and Sheridan university campus to Brampton,” read a city release on Oct. 24.

Graeme Frisque is a reporter with The Mississauga News and Brampton Guardian. Email: gfrisque@metroland.com

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