LANGFORD – New Democrat MLAs Ravi Parmar and Mitzi Dean say exciting progress is being made on construction of the Westshore Post-Secondary Campus site, announced in 2022 with a provincial government investment of over $77 million.

Expected to open for the 2025/26 year, this post-secondary campus is spearheading a new style of campus, and will be the first of its kind in B.C., as it will be home to programming from the University of Victoria, Royal Roads, Camosun College, the Justice Institute of BC, and School District 62.

“Students in the Westshore have shown us the need for a campus that is closer to home, that will expand opportunities for learning in the community,” said Ravi Parmar, MLA for Langford-Juan de Fuca. “As a student, as SD62 board chair, and now MLA this is an initiative I have been supporting for over a decade and a half, it’s exciting to see this project becoming a reality.”

As one of the fastest-growing regions in Canada, there is an ever-increasing need in the West Shore for a local educational institution like this one. Once completed, it will be home to programming like undergraduate education, and professional and continuing studies, and serving students from local communities like the Songhees, Esquimalt, Malahat, Pacheedaht, SC’IA⁄NEW, and T’Sou-ke, including the municipalities of Sooke, Langford, Colwood, and View Royal, and the Districts of Metchosin and Highlands.

“Students and youth in our community learning at SD62 schools will benefit immensely from having a new place to learn and grow when they pursue their post-secondary education,” said Mitzi Dean, MLA for Esquimalt-Metchosin. “This campus is going to provide both opportunities for students and for local professors and educational staff, and it’s great to see it getting closer to the finish line.”

The campus will begin serving about 600 students in it’s first intake after opening and will grow to serve an estimated 1,300 students at full capacity.

The City of Langford is also a key partner in this project, contributing important funding for the project to be built, as well as for parking and nearby road infrastructure, land for the site, development and support for the Innovation Studio, and support for local high school students to wish to attend post-secondary at this campus.