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Photo by Jason Payne / PNG

As Murray paused during the building tour, she said: “This is about the investment in people that will be creating the pathways forward to a sustainable, clean-energy economy. Over 400 students will have places in this facility and doing state-of-the-art research and innovation to enable us to transition away from our polluting technologies.”

The federal government contributed $46 million toward the building, the largest single investment from the strategic infrastructure fund in B.C., which was matched by the provincial government.

“This is how we provide opportunities for young people to be innovators to tackle the challenges that face all of us in Canada and globally,” said Murray.

Locating the building in Surrey was strategically important said Michael Heeney, president and CEO of theSurrey City Development Corp.

Photo by Jason Payne / PNG

“This is where the youth of the region are,” said Heeney, who also worked as an architect on the project. A third of B.C.’s youth under age 19 live in Surrey, and many of them are from first-generation families, said Heeney.

The building, and program, in which students focus on three areas, smart cities, clean transportation and sustainable manufacturing, may well become a magnet for students from across North America.

Hassan Murad, a 25-year-old graduate of SFU’s Mechatronics robotics program, and Vivek Vyas, 24, were on hand to demo “Oscar,” an intuitive garbage and recycling station that uses artificial intelligence.