Local leaders and residents explore options to preserve the Perth Campus for future trades training
PERTH — The former Algonquin College Perth Campus was once a unique institution dedicated to hands-on heritage trades education. The site included a masonry shop, joinery shop, outdoor construction pad, timber and log-building areas, and laboratories for mortar science. No other training facility in Canada offered the same combination of spaces and equipment.
“There is no other facility in Canada like that for the purpose of simply teaching this stuff,” said Christopher Hahn, former dean of Algonquin College and of the Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence.
For Hahn, saving the campus is about more than protecting a local asset.
“This country needs people to preserve what we have. We need people who understand the built environment to keep it standing,” he said.
Toby Shannan, former Chief Operating Officer of Shopify and a Perth resident, has submitted a bid to purchase the campus. His plan is to transform it into a private, not-for-profit institution: the Perth Academy of Building Arts and Sciences.
“All of the [Algonquin College] curricula was developed in Perth, by Perthites, long-standing craftspeople who had a tradition of working with stone and timber,” said Shannan. “It is not as portable as people think. My moral claim is this deserves to stay in Perth, doing the same thing it has done. And I am willing to backstop that.”
Shannan has been meeting with the Town of Perth, local residents, provincial officials and industry leaders.
“The good news is I think Queen’s Park is starting to entertain our vision a bit,” he said, adding that Ontario’s Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, David Piccini, has shown interest.
Cathy McNally, Director of Community Services for the Town of Perth and a former faculty member at the campus, said the school played an important role in the community.
“I taught at the College for 10 years and value what post-secondary education brings to a rural community. I am speaking as an individual who is invested in the quality of life for our residents,” McNally said.
Shannan said that while private tuition would likely be higher, accessibility would remain a priority.
“I would want everyone to graduate either debt free, or we could build a fund for students,” he said. “Instead of borrowing from OSAP, though you could, you would borrow from our fund. If you have not met a certain salary floor after graduation, you would not have to pay the loan back. If you are making less than we expect, we assume that is partially our fault.”
The campus is listed for sale through CBRE Canada. The listing suggests about seven acres of the 12.34-acre site are developable. However, mapping from the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority indicates much of the property sits within a one-in-100-year flood plain.
“Development is not permitted within the one in 100 year flood plain and can only be considered if it is limited to those uses that must locate there, such as flood or erosion control works, minor additions to existing development or passive non structural uses that do not affect flood flows,” said Diane Downey, Director of Communications and Outreach for the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority.
MPP John Jordan said the province recognizes the campus’s importance.
“The disposal of the college campus is under the purview of the Algonquin College Board of Governors,” Jordan told Hometown News. “While it should be acknowledged that Algonquin College has listed the Perth Campus property for sale, the province has communicated a clear mandate in support of training for skilled trades opportunities.”
Jordan said he will continue discussions at Queen’s Park to ensure every option for the campus’s future is examined.
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