Who called whom: getting Brock to decide on Burlington

News 100 yellowBy Pepper Parr

October 20th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

 

When the city announced it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (documents that are worth almost as much as the paper they are printed on) with Brock University on a possible move to the “best city in the country” my question was:

Who called whom?

Brock in Hamilton

The Education faculty needs to be moved by August of 2022

Was Brock looking for a new location and thought Burlington would be a nice place or was Burlington on the prowl for an academic institution that would be a one up on the school that McMaster University located on the South Service road after playing footsie with the city about locating the building in the downtown core?

Turns out that Brock decided more than 18 months ago that they needed to find a better location for the facility they had in the East end of Hamilton where public transit was very limited and the building footprint no longer met their needs.

So the word was out – which suggests that the Burlington Economic Development Corporation was the matchmaker.

There are some exceptional synergies laying out there to be exploited. It is now up to Burlington to find a location that thrills the deciders at Brock. Reputations rest on our making it happen.

Robert Bateman HS

Bateman high school site will at some point be declared surplus – could that structure be modified as a Brock Campus. Huge sports field behind the building that could become the community centre the Mayor and the ward trustee would like to see built.

The Robert Bateman High school is due to get shuttered in the not too distant future. When the Halton District School Board declares that property surplus, existing educational institutions have first dibs on the land.

Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward called the announcement “truly exciting news for Burlington.”

Annita Cassidy Hoey retirement

Anita Cassidy, Executive Director of Burlington Economic Development

Anita Cassidy, Executive Director of Burlington Economic Development said: “Burlington Economic Development has been working actively with the City of Burlington and our post-secondary partners to expand opportunities for undergraduate education in Burlington for a number of years and we are excited to move forward with Brock University.” said Cassidy.

Brock completed the sale of its Hamilton campus in September, in an agreement that gives the University the option of continuing to conduct teaching and research there until August 2022, allowing it time to obtain and prepare a replacement facility.

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1 comment to Who called whom: getting Brock to decide on Burlington

  • One would think that the public transit situation at Robert Bateman is just as bad, or worse than the current site at King St. in east Hamilton. They mentioned wanting to be close to GO as well as the highway. Not a lot of vacant land that fits the bill, but with some creativity, willingness on the part of the city to broker a deal and some $$$, a few interesting possibilities pop up. Ideally there are opportunities for related businesses and student accommodations to be developed over time very close to the site. Build a community…not just a building that students commute to and commute back home again.

    Some ideas:
    – the existing Art Gallery building (there was talk of potentially relocating the gallery)?
    – the Burlington Square building on Brant (with existing residential in the tower above)?
    – one of the automobile dealerships at Brant & Fairview or Brant & Queensway relocates to a site on one of the service roads?
    – in behind Wal-Mart at Brant & DePauls?
    – one of the presently industrial sites behind Burlington GO at Queensway?