MONTREAL (June 11, 2020) – Dawson College has been in the news recently because its project to build a new pavilion is included in the Government’s omnibus Bill 61 that aims to fast track over 200 infrastructure projects in the health, education and transportation sectors.

Some of the recent news reports are inaccurate. Dawson College wishes to set the record straight. Here are the facts about the situation.

Quebec’s Ministry of Education grants each CEGEP a target enrolment called a devis. In the spring of 2014, the Ministry of Education acknowledged that, based on a recognized devis of 7,075 full-time students and using ministerial space norms, Dawson College has a space deficit of more than 10,000 square metres.

• CEGEPs are allowed to exceed the devis by 10% under certain conditions.
• The devis of 7,075 students for Dawson was set by the Ministry of Education in the late 1990s.
• The Ministry of Education determines space requirements based on the college’s devis and norms for each program offered.

Since 2012, Dawson‘s enrolment of full-time students hovers between 7,800 and 8,000. The construction of the new pavilion is to better accommodate the current number of students, not to expand its enrolment.  Dawson College currently offers 21 technical and five pre-university programs in English to a diverse student population.

The new pavilion is expected to house seven programs in the health and social service sectors. The graduates of Dawson’s health and social service programs are essential contributors to Quebec’s healthcare system. Our graduates work in both francophone and anglophone institutions and serve all Quebecers.

For more information about the new pavilion project, please refer to the news on the website of Dawson College:
https://www.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/news/announcements/new-pavilion-for-dawson-college-to-be-fast-tracked/

SOURCE:

Christina Parsons
Communications Office
Dawson College
514-949-9183
cparsons@dawsoncollege.qc.ca