George Brown College has purchased Corus Quay at 25 Dockside Drive in downtown Toronto to build a consolidated waterfront campus.
The joint acquisition with equity partner Halmont Properties will enable the long-term expansion of the waterfront campus.
“The joint acquisition of 25 Dockside is a vital long-term investment and asset for George Brown College and partners in support of our students and their success in Ontario’s labour market, and in the economy of today and tomorrow. It will enable us to expand our academic offerings and fulfill our commitment to the development and education of our future leaders,” college president Dr. Gervan Fearon said in a statement.
The investment also supports Waterfront Toronto and all three Gervan Fearon of Governments’ ongoing plan to revitalize the Eastern waterfront, including the recently approved $64 million investment by the City of Toronto to advance the Waterfront East LRT design to a shovel-ready 60 per cent design threshold.
In 2012, George Brown opened the Daphne Cockwell Centre for Health Sciences and the college relocated its School of Design to the Daniels City of the Arts complex (130 Queens Quay E.) in 2019, establishing a hub for design, innovation and technical skills training in the East Bayfront community.
In 2025, George Brown will open Limberlost Place, Ontario’s largest institutional mass timber building, at 185 Queens Quay E. Limberlost Place will be home to the School of Architectural Technology and the School of Computer Technology.
“Toronto’s east waterfront has grown dramatically over the past decade and it’s just getting started. By 2040, there will be an estimated 130,000 new residents and 50,000 new jobs along the waterfront. With our unique position on the waterfront, George Brown College is poised to be a foundational part of that growth, and a partner in addressing the long-term economic and social prosperity of Toronto, and Ontario,” said Joe Cressy, senior vice-president of External Relations, Communications, and Real Estate Development at GBC.
The Province of Ontario approved GBC taking on the head lease for 25 Dockside Drive, as is required for Crown agencies, under Section 28 of the Financial Administration Act.
“George Brown College’s joint acquisition of 25 Dockside is an investment that will help to provide leading-edge training and education to Ontario’s next generation of skilled workers and entrepreneurs,” said Jill Dunlop, Ontario’s Minister of Colleges and Universities. “This is the type of leadership and innovation in postsecondary education that will help to lay the foundation for a strong economic future for Ontario.”
The 480,000 sq. ft. building at 25 Dockside Dr. is presently home to Corus Entertainment, Irene Restaurant and Ecobee. Corus Entertainment will continue to maintain its current long-term lease for the premises.