Western receives $10 million donation for new entrepreneurship and innovation building
A large donation presented to Western University on Wednesday will help foster the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Ron Schmeichel, a Canadian entrepreneur and financier, is lending his name to the new entrepreneurship and innovation building at Western — and along with it, a $10 million donation.
“This space will help students from all academic disciplines come together around a common belief: when you invite ideas, enthusiasm and skills to come together you create and build innovation,” said Schmeichel in a press release.
The 100,000 sq. ft. building is located on the heart of Western’s campus and will be named the Ronald D. Schmeichel Building for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
The project is slated to be completed in fall 2023, and it will be Western’s first net-zero-energy building will be a gathering place with state-of-the-art active learning classrooms, a space with 3D printers, metalworking, machinery and woodworking tools and a digital lab.
In the press release, Western says the new facility will be a hub of entrepreneurial teaching, learning and experiencing.
“This is more than a building. This is a place where tomorrow’s entrepreneurs will cultivate their entrepreneurial spirit, whether they’re in engineering, music, journalism, law, medicine, science, business or the arts. We need to both encourage and back the entrepreneurial culture in Canada, and this new institute is going to play a big role in doing that,” said Schmeichel.
Schmeichel credits his experience at Western with starting him on the road to entrepreneurship, eventually going on to co-found and now chair JJR Private Capital.
“What drew me to Western was its respected brand and strong presence in the business community,” he said.
“Once I visited the campus, I was hooked. I’ll never forget walking into the law school and having that deep sense of history and academia, from the paintings on the walls of judges, lawyers and professors to the extensive library and the hushed halls. I was scared out of my mind — but it was also magical,” added Schmeichel.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.