February 15, 2015
Kemptville’s agricultural college should be handed over to North Grenville to run as a multipurpose community hub, according to provincial government advisor Lyle Vanclief.

The Kemptville College Renewal Task Force says, “The provincial facilitator, the Hon. Lyle Vanclief, consulted widely with agriculture and other groups to map out a way forward for a sustainable solution for the Kemptville College campus. The recommendation that the campus be transferred to the local municipality to establish a new Kemptville Centre for Rural Advancement is an exciting and promising development. The proposed Centre would be established to meet the training and development needs of employers in Eastern Ontario.”

Landscape Ontario’s Manager of Education and Labour Development , Sally Harvey CLT, CLP, is a member of the Task Force.  

Last spring, the University of Guelph, which operated Kemptville College since 1997, announced plans to close it after the 2015 school year. The University said the move came after years of declining enrolment and operating deficits.

North Grenville Mayor David Gordon also welcomes Vanclief’s recommendation. He is quoted, “This is an excellent first step.”