CAMPAIGN NEWS

Trades school on the hill breaks ground on future expansion

by Alison O'Connor

photo by Stephanie Moore

Alberta Premier, Ed Stelmach takes his turn at centre stage to talk about the future of SAIT and Alberta.

Under the great Alberta blue sky and unseasonably warm temperatures for September, SAIT Polytechnic unveiled the designs of the new Trades and Technology Complex in a ceremony outside the old airplane hangar of the Colonel Walker Building on September 1, 2009.

“This is a landmark day for Calgary and Alberta,” said Guy Mallabone, Vice President external Relations for SAIT Polytechnic.

More than 200 people attended the event, including many donors and supporters. Dignitaries present included Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach; Doug Horner, Alberta Minister of Advanced Education and Technology and MLA for Spruce Grove-Sturgeon-St. Albert; Jim Prentice, Canada’s Minister of the Environment and Member of Parliament for Calgary Centre-North; and Calgary Mayor Dave Bronconnier.

Premier Stelmach reminded the crowd that this groundbreaking event coincided with the opening day of the 40th WorldSkills Competition in Calgary and Alberta’s 104th birthday.

“All these events are about the future — a future we want to have for our province and the young people who will help build it,” said Stelmach. “The new Trades and Technology Complex will do more than change the landscape of the SAIT campus; it will change the landscape of Alberta.” It was almost a year and a half ago that the Premier came to campus to announce that the Alberta Government would be pledging $300 million to support the project.

Irene Lewis, SAIT President and CEO, proudly described how the TTC will be transformational for the SAIT campus and the students who will study here.

“The design truly reflects SAIT’s history, accommodates the present and is adaptable to the future of polytechnic education. The Trades and Technology Complex will benefit generations to come,” said Lewis. 

View a virtual tour of SAIT's future campus.