By Tyler Kula - The Sarnia Observer, May 15, 2019It was a party at Lambton College Wednesday as the Sarnia school celebrated the culmination of 10 years working towards a new health and research centre.The $30-million, 5,574-square-metre (60,000-square-foot) facility name-sponsored by Nova Chemicals was officially opened amid a shower of confetti.Lambton president Judy Morris touted the centre�s hands-on, interdisciplinary approach to learning.Labs for students in paramedicine, pharmacy, nursing and other programs are intermingled so students in different disciplines work together, as emergency responders, health-care and social assistance providers do in the real world.�The impact that training will have on the local community really cannot be understated,� Morris said.The community is aging, and training for health-care jobs is in demand � both to care for people as they age and to replace a retiring workforce, said Mike Lapaine, CEO of Bluewater Health, and vice-chair of the college�s board of directors.The health and research facility, which opened in January, is the third in a series of official unveilings of expansions and upgrades at the college since last September.A $14.2-million Centre of Excellence in Energy and Bio-Industrial Technologies was�feted then, and a grand opening for the college�s $18.2-million, 3,716-square-metre (40,000-square-foot) Athletics and Fitness Complex was�held in October.The fitness and research centres are the result of a $48-million Envision Tomorrow capital campaign that saw $20 million contributed from the federal and provincial governments, $5 million from the County of Lambton, $8.6 million from Lambton�s student administrative council, and $2 million from Nova Chemicals.The Centre of Excellence was also funded with senior government money and help from various other donors, but its funding wasn�t part of the capital campaign, said college spokesperson Jami Kloet.The three projects, built concurrently starting in 2016, together total $62.4 million.A time capsule was also being embedded in the research centre�s wall, to open in 2067.�This facility is a point of pride for Lambton College,� Morris said. �We are grateful to all who put forward the energy, the interest and the enthusiasm to bring it to fruition.�It represents an investment in the future of the Sarnia-Lambton, she said.�Our students will receive an exceptional education which will empower them to provide health care for our family, friends and loved ones in our community,� she said. �And that is certainly worth celebrating.�tkula@postmedia.com
