On the heels of a provincial government report which suggests roughly 40 per cent of college and university buildings in Quebec are in need of renovations, the prime minister and the premier announced they were pledging a total of $730 million dollars for infrastructure upgrades.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged $385 million, while Premier Philippe Couilard promised $345 million. The schools themselves, as well as private donors, will kick in another $361 million, for a total of $1.1 billion.
"Investing in post-secondary education and higher learning and investing in the infrastructures that will allow for young people like these to succeed is an essential part of creating economic growth that benefits everyone in the coming years," said Trudeau.
A third of the money will go toward the building of a new science facility at the University of Montreal.
The study showed that roughly 40 per cent of the buildings at Concordia University are in need of repairs, while on McGill University's campus, where many of the buildings date back to the 19th century, nearly three-quarters of the buildings were shown to be in a state of disrepair.