Red Crow Community College before the 2015 fire. (Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

$48-million announced to rebuild Red Crow Community College campus after 2015 fire

Oct 1, 2020 | 2:30 PM

STANDOFF, AB – Significant grants have been announced to re-build the main campus of Red Crow Community College (RCCC) on the Blood Reserve.

A fire in August 2015 resulted in over $10-million in losses, completely destroying all electronics, books, artifacts, and other items.

The federal government will contribute $20-million to the project while another $28-million will come from “municipal/other sources.”

The campus, totalling 9,888 square metres, will provide training to create a “talent pipeline” for key industries in the region such as agriculture and agri-business, and to support long-term regional development.

The new building will include classrooms, workshops, labs, academic and counselling spaces for students, administrative and program spaces for employees, a library, cafeteria, and a daycare.

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It will also feature a museum and archive space, a cultural teaching and gathering space, and an area for Elders.

“It’s very exciting and our community,” says RCCC Vice President Henry Big Throat. “It’s going to be kind of like a hub of our community now. It’s going to be a gorgeous gorgeous building once it’s ready.”

Since the fire five years ago, Big Throat says things have been tough at the college. Their space is severely limited, leading to many young local learners attending post-secondary schools elsewhere.

By opening the new campus, he hopes to have more of them attend in their home community.

The funding announcement was made Thursday which also includes infrastructure projects at the University of Lethbridge, Medicine Hat College, and a post-secondary institution in Calgary.

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Between these four projects, Ottawa is giving $21.9-million, $125,000 from the Government of Alberta, and over $30-million from other sources.

“The federal government’s Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program together with the Alberta Recovery Plan provide these Southern Alberta communities with projects that will create hundreds of good paying construction-related jobs at a time when an economic boost is needed most,” says Alberta Infrastructure Minister Prasad Panda.

Construction on the new RCCC campus will start immediately. The facility should open to the public by September 2022.