Ministry of Advanced Education NEWS RELEASE   
March 20, 2007 
 
VICTORIA - The Province is providing up to an additional $6 million for Camosun College's Pacific
Sport Institute to help construct a new venue and training centre for national and international athletes,
announced Advanced Education Minister Murray Coell, March 20, 2007.
 

"We want to lead the way in North America in healthy living and physical fitness, and training
centres like the Pacific Sport Institute will help us achieve that goal," said Coell at the groundbreaking
ceremony today. "The applied research conducted at this one-of-a-kind institute will add dramatically
to the knowledge of sport and related disciplines throughout British Columbia."

Phase One of construction will build a double gymnasium, sport science and sport medicine
facilities, multi-purpose classrooms and labs, a resource centre, fitness and wellness facilities, student
amenity spaces and an all-weather playing field. In total, the Province is providing up to $24.5 million
to Camosun College for this unique project with $18.5 million contributed from the Ministry of
Economic Development.
 
The Pacific Sport Institute's facilities will provide educational programming in sport
leadership, coaching and sport science, athlete and coach development; and sport medicine within a
single centre making it the first of its kind in Canada.
 
"The Pacific Sport Institute will become a centre of excellence for Canadian sport and exercise
expertise," said Camosun College president Liz Ashton. "The new knowledge and best practices
developed at the Pacific Sport Institute will impact B.C. and Canadian communities, not just
physiologically but in social and economic terms as well. It's very exciting to be working with the
Province and our partner, PacificSport Victoria, to take our place on the sport podium."

The Pacific Sport Institute will have an estimated economic impact of $24 million annually and
the equivalent of 420 full-time jobs will be supported through institute related spending once it is
completely operational. The institute is expected to open by 2009.
 
"The dream of the Pacific Sport Institute has come to life with the assistance of many generous
supporters," said Roger Skillings, CEO of PacificSport Victoria. "The provincial government's support
is enhanced by major corporate donations, including $2 million from the Hudson's Bay Company and
$1 million from Thrifty Foods. Coast Capital Savings Credit Union pledged $120,000, plus thousands
more were pledged by local organizations, businesses and many individual donors."

In the past five years, the provincial government has provided more than $1 billion in new
funding for 904 capital projects on campuses throughout B.C. and has allocated almost $800 million in
capital funding over the next three years to accommodate further growth.

Media contact:

Corinna Filion Communications Manager
Ministry of Advanced Education
250 952-6400
250 812-7977 (',cell)

Susan Haddon
Director of College and Community Relations
Camosun College
250 370-4231
250 588-9298 (',cell)
  
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