Hundreds of residents are expected to flock to a meeting at the W.B. George Centre at Kemptville College on Wednesday evening to discuss options about how to keep the school alive.
During question period earlier this week, Jeff Leal, the minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs announced that Lyle Vanclief, who previously served as the federal agriculture minister, was appointed as a facilitator to the project.
The century-old agriculture school, which is located about 60 kilometres from Ottawa, received a $2-million grant from the province in April to keep some of the campus’s trades programs afloat, but it will not fund the school’s agriculture, equine care or food-science programs.
The money is expect to buy the school at least a year to hash out a deal with other colleges after the University of Guelph decided to close its satellite campus in March.
Algonquin College and St. Lawrence College have shown some interest in the campus, but until a permanent deal is in place, the school’s long-term future remains up in the air.
Kemptville College’s former campus director, Claude Naud, fears that the closure of the school could “leave a void in agricultural education and training in eastern Ontario.”
