Dustin Gill
U of R president Dr. Vianne Timmons addresses the Moose Jaw Chamber of Commerce on Monday at the Heritage Inn.
Saskatchewan is an economic engine and University of Regina wants to provide the fuel.
University of Regina (U of R) president Dr. Vianne Timmons spoke to the Moose Jaw and District Chamber of Commerce on Monday at Heritage Inn to discuss highlights from a recent Conference Board of Canada report.
The luncheon discussed positive results from the report highlighting the economic output the university is delivering to the local area and province as a whole.
The report, entitled: Fueling the Surge: The University of Regina’s Role in Saskatchewan’s Growth, was commissioned by the university to help in guiding future planning processes.
“The University of Regina is an economic engine employing 4,500 people, which is around the size of SaskPower,” Timmons told the audience. “We wanted a third party to look at the economic impact in a study.”
The report was released last month, and along with the 4,500 local jobs, the report also highlighted U of R supports 970 other full-time jobs in the province and another 570 outside Saskatchewan.
“We visited SIAST this morning and we want to continue offering a partnership in programs,” Timmons said on the offering of being able to start a degree program in Moose Jaw and finish in Regina.
Timmons also told those in attendance international students continue to be a positive and driving force at the university. “We have 1700 international student... we’re undergoing tremendous growth,” Timmons stated.
U of R remits over $37 million in payroll taxes annually, almost $3 million in PST and over $1 million is GST.
“We look at the future here in Moose Jaw and it’s a very important partnership with SIAST to help our students prepare,” Mayor Glenn Hagel said towards the educational programs shared between the two schools.
For more on this story pick up the next issue of the Times-Herald.
Dustin Gill
