Premier says PCs added $10 million to cost of new NSCC Sydney campus

The PC government intentionally added to the cost of the new $170-million Nova Scotia Community College Sydney Waterfront Campus, Premier Tim Houston said at the grand opening on Friday.

The decision to move the college downtown from its former site between Sydney and Glace Bay was made by the previous Liberal government.

Houston said after he was elected, school officials told his government they needed more money to get the kind of campus they really wanted.

"We had to make a choice," he told the crowd of about 150 staff and students on hand for the opening. "Do we scale it back, or do we invest more? You know what we did. We invested an additional $10 million over and above what was allocated to get the job done."

Houston did not say what extras the money bought.

NSCC says the four new buildings in downtown Sydney total more than 300,000 square feet of space, designed to meet the latest standards in accessibility and environmental sustainability, with plenty of natural light and large windows to view the area and especially the harbour.

WATCH | Building time lapse for new NSCC campus:

NSCC Sydney Waterfront Campus construction from 2020 to 2024

13 days ago

Duration 0:30

Since construction began in 2020, the CBC's Tom Ayers has been documenting the work from the corner of Falmouth and Charlotte streets.

The buildings are connected by overhead pedestrian walkways and the campus is expected to be home to nearly 1,200 students and staff.

Houston and others said the new bright and airy campus will provide a boost to business in Sydney's downtown.

"The students that will come through these doors and the inspiration that they'll feel just from this building, it's pretty remarkable the impact this will have," the premier said.

Classes have already started, but workers are still busy putting the finishing touches on the buildings.

The former Marconi campus, which is next to Cape Breton University, will house a health-care clinic scheduled to open late next year.

It will be operated by Nova Scotia Health and is expected to serve up to 10,000 patients, while providing space for training of CBU medical students.