With Algonquin College set to shutter its Perth campus, a prominent local resident is stepping up with an ambitious plan to turn the site into a world-class private institution for heritage restoration and skilled trades training.
Toby Shannan, former chief operating officer at Shopify, told Lanark County council on June 11 that he wants to acquire the property and transform it into a not-for-profit college focused on Heritage Trades, offering programs up to a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management.
“The simple proposal is, I would like Algonquin College to keep the campus in town and I think the way to do it is to give it to a not-for-profit that I will set up,” Shannan said.
Shannan envisions a governance structure of leaders from construction, academia, and local government.
“We’ll build a governance structure that includes people from the construction industry, local community government, and academics to run the college as designed,” he said.
However, acquiring the property won’t be simple. As a publicly-funded asset, it must first be offered to other government bodies.
“He as an individual would be very low on the bottom for the availability of this building because it has to be offered to other levels of government and institutions first,” said County Warden Toby Randall (mayor of Carleton Place). “So, things are going to have to align pretty well for this to happen.”
Shannan said he’s prepared to purchase the property at market value — estimated between $10 and $15 million — and has already begun discussions with the province.
“They [the college] would then give that money back and put it into escrow for the newly formed not-for-profit organization to ensure that the college is successful long term,” Shannan said. “And I’ll be happy to sign something that says I’ll never make a cent off it.”
His motivation in taking on this project is personal.
“My dad was a carpenter and a builder; my son is a carpenter and builder; my son-in-law is a builder, and my nephew is a builder, and although I didn’t have the talent to be a builder, I think it’s very important and it runs deep in my family,” Shannan said.
After weeks of meetings at Queen’s Park, Shannan reports strong support from provincial leaders.
“What Shannan is proposing fits in with what the province is pushing right now,” said Andrew Tennant, county councillor and Deputy Mayor of Carleton Place.
Ontario is facing a deepening skilled trades shortage. BuildForce Canada estimates that over 300,000 new construction workers will be needed by 2032.
“Our industry needs people badly, people with knowledge to get work done that needs to be done,” said Tennant, who runs a masonry and construction company.
Shannan’s three-part business plan includes reinstating the existing college diploma, launching a BSc in Construction Management, and becoming a regional hub for skills development, offering flexible upskilling programs for local tradespeople.
He says Cavanagh Construction has already expressed strong interest in the proposal.
“One of their VPs told me ‘if you can build me 100 civil engineering technicians I’d take them tomorrow,’ and that’s exactly what we propose to do,” said Shannan.
The third component is to establish the college as an international centre for heritage restoration, drawing students and experts from around the world for conferences and specialized training in timber framing, blacksmithing, dry-stone masonry, and more.
While the new college would be private and charge higher fees — two to three times more than public institutions — students would participate in paid work semesters to help graduate debt-free.
Shannan is seeking endorsements from all levels of local government, including tax relief and waived development charges from the Town of Perth.
“Mr. Shannan’s proposal is an exciting one, and it is likely that the council of the day will accommodate him as much as possible,” said Perth Mayor Judy Brown.
Lanark County has agreed to provide a letter of endorsement, and Warden Randall pledged support at upcoming provincial meetings.
“This is a real positive,” said County Coun. Richard Kidd (Beckwith reeve). “Anytime we can take a negative and turn it into a positive, then our time on council has been a success. This could be a big positive in the history of Lanark County and the Town of Perth.”
