Portage is thrilled to announce that work is well underway for the three SIF projects recently announced by the Federal Government.  The investment of over $1.3 million from the Federal Government's SIF program plus $300,250 from the Government of Alberta, $600,000 from Lac La Biche County and $800,000 from Portage College contributions represents significant investment towards three projects.

The investments towards three projects will provide the opportunity to enhance an environmental suite of programs, expand future programming and support remote learners.  

The Natural Resources Technology (NRT) lab space & greenhouse project will build a greenhouse along with other facility enhancements that will support applied research in the environmental sciences. Along with the SIF funding of $400,250, the Alberta Government also saw the merit in this project and provided funding of $300,250. With the college's contributions of $190,000, the total investment to the NRT Program is $890,500.  

The grant towards the new Water and Wastewater Operator Technician courses will include a lab that provides a simulated training environment for water and wastewater operators. This will allow operators to obtain training closer to home and deal with the current shortage of qualified staff in our region. With the SIF funding of $752,460, $600,000 from Lac La Biche County and $400,000 from Portage College this project totals $1,752,460 investment.  

"We're grateful that the Water and Wastewater project has received significant financial support from the Lac La Biche County which we've been partnering with. The College serves 7 First Nations communities and 4 Métis settlements and through consultations with these communities, water management was identified as a priority we plan to support."
- Tracy Boyde, Vice President of IT & Infrastructure at Portage College  

"Portage College and Lac La Biche County have worked together for years, and the Water and Wastewater Management project is a valuable partnership between our two organizations. I'm pleased to see the provincial government supporting post-secondary programs and infrastructure in our area. Given our location in Alberta's Lakeland and Lac La Biche County's commitment to environmental responsibility, it's hard to overstate the importance of water management. I look forward to seeing this project come to fruition."
- Omer Moghrabi, Mayor of Lac La Biche County    

Finally, the IT grant will enable the college to enhance its IT infrastructure to support remote learners across the region. The college has seven campuses in which 4 are remote and rely heavily on information technology to deliver content to students. Through these enhancements in the Colleges' Information Technology Infrastructure, the college has an opportunity to enhance the course offerings in our remote locations. With the SIF funding of $210,000 and a matching contribution by Portage College, the total investment in this project is $420,000.  

Portage College appreciates the investments and is pleased to move forward on these initiatives.

Please read Alberta Government's Media Release "Alberta's colleges receive much-needed funding" Here.

For more information, please contact Jaime Davies, Manager of Corporate Communications
Phone: 780-623-5581 - Cell: 780-404-9109 - Email