Research and Innovation Minister Glen Murray has announced the MaRS science complex at the corner of University Ave. and College St. will double in size after a $344.5 million expansion.
“It will make it arguably the largest innovation hub in the world here in Toronto,” Murray said Tuesday.
Hailing “some very creative leasing and financing arrangements with the private sector,” the minister said the 20-storey addition will create 4,000 construction jobs and enlarge MaRS to 1.5 million sq. ft. of offices and laboratories.
Infrastructure Ontario, the arm’s-length government agency that specializes in private-public partnerships, has loaned MaRS $230.3 million for the development.
“It will more than double the number of researchers and innovators and entrepreneurs at MaRS from 2,300 to more than 5,000,” said Murray, noting the facility’s success at rapidly commercializing scientific breakthroughs.
“Here is really where the future is being invented. Persistent challenges from prostate cancer to turning sewage into energy to ways of cleaning our air and storing energy so green energy is ‘dispatch-able,’” he said.
“We’re going to solve some of the most difficult problems facing humanity right here in the middle of this network and that’s why this is important.”
MaRS, which originally stood for Medical and Related Science when announced by former Progressive Conservative premier Ernie Eves in 2002, has been at capacity since opening six years ago.
“Our facility is bursting at the seams. This expansion of the MaRS platform offers a huge opportunity to accelerate that momentum and further strengthen our innovation economy for future generations,” said Ilse Treurnicht, the chief executive officer of MaRS Discovery District.
The addition, which should be completed by fall 2013, will house the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research and Public Health Ontario’s central lab, which prevents and controls infectious diseases.
Mindful of the Oct. 6 provincial election, Murray said MaRS symbolizes what the Liberal government is striving to achieve.
“Some of the people opposite on the right like to talk about us as latte-sipping liberals who live south of Bloor and are out of touch with reality,” said the Toronto Centre MPP.
“Ontarians, whether they’re assembling cars or in their labs, are some of the smartest, most committed people in the world and they like intelligence and they like smarts,” he said.
Also Tuesday, Dr. Oetker Canada, a subsidiary of the German food giant, announced it would be building its first frozen pizza production facility in North America in London, creating 430 direct and indirect jobs.
The firm aims to make 50 million of the popular thin-crust pies for Canadian and U.S. customers every year at the new factory.
“With an array of fresh, high-quality Ontario ingredients nearby, we look forward to supporting local food processors and businesses by sourcing these products for use in the production of our pizzas,” Martin Reintjes, executive vice president of Dr. Oetker GmbH, said in a statement.
