Alberta NDP promises $200 million to create post-secondary campus in downtown Calgary

Alberta NDP Opposition Leader Rachel Notley addresses the Calgary Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022. She promised Albertans she would build a second post-secondary campus in downtown Calgary if she is elected premier next month. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Alberta's Opposition NDP is promising up to $200 million to create a post-secondary campus in downtown Calgary if it wins the upcoming election.

Leader Rachel Notley says the money would go toward creating a permanent downtown campus to bring businesses, students and researchers together for collaboration and to support economic diversification.

The funding would also be used for student housing.

Notley says no decision has been made on a particular university to run the campus.

A recent report from commercial real estate services firm CBRE lists Calgary's downtown office vacancy rate at 32 per cent - almost double the national average.

Notley says the downtown has generated wealth and prosperity for Albertans but downturns related to the price of oil and the COVID-19 pandemic have hurt the area.

“We've seen high vacancy rates and a lack of vibrancy in the area,” Notley told reporters Monday.

“Even as the economy recovers from the pandemic, we haven't seen the jobs return as our economy undergoes structural changes.”

The writ is scheduled to be dropped on May 1 for a May 29 provincial election.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 17, 2023