Construction starts on $21M Collège Boréal building

Collège Boréal has announced the start of construction on its $21.7-million Toronto campus.

The French language college will be the core tenant in a ‘ribbon building’ in the Distillery District, giving it access to 100,000 square feet spread over four floors, which will be double the amount of space it currently has at its Yonge Street location.

Ontario is providing $15 million for the facility, while Boréal will contribute $6.7 million to the total.

“Moving Collège Boréal’s Toronto headquarters to a new and innovative campus in the heart of Toronto’s famed Distillery District is a major turning point in the history of our Francophone institution,” college president Daniel Giroux said in an Oct. 29 news release.

“This campus will ensure the ongoing provision of French language professional training in Toronto, contribute greatly to the community’s Francophone continuum and energize the Francophone presence in a dynamic and inspiring urban space.”

The school said it would have “strengthened” program offerings as a response to industry demand in the areas of health, community services, business and computer sciences, with corresponding applied research labs.

A business incubator to "promote the culture of entrepreneurship" will also be included as part of the space.

This marks the first permanent space in Toronto for Collège Boréal. It’s expected to be open by 2020 or early 2021.

Established in 1995, Collège Boréal is a French language post-secondary training and learning institution dedicated to the development and growth of communities throughout Ontario. It is headquartered in Sudbury.