Assiniboine College getting $120M to expand ag school, help fill jobs in 'backbone' of Manitoba economy: Kinew

May 22, 2025

Assiniboine College in Brandon, Man., is getting a $120-million boost from the province to expand its agricultural school and get its long-planned Prairie Innovation Centre for Sustainable Agriculture built — a project Premier Wab Kinew says is critical to filling labour gaps in one of Manitoba's key economic sectors.

Kinew announced the funding Thursday during his state of the province address to the Brandon Chamber of Commerce.

"We know that there are so many jobs that we're going to have to fill going forward into the coming years to be able to keep growing that backbone of our provincial economy," Kinew said. "Assiniboine College's Prairie Innovation Centre is the way to get it done."

The new centre, which has been years in the making, and is expected to offer 16 new or expanded educational programs under its roof.

It will more than double the Russ Edwards School of Agriculture and Environment from about 300 students to 800 students, said Assiniboine vice-president of advancement Derrick Turner.

He says the college researched gaps in agriculture industry training, and the new state-of-the-art facility will help students prepare to work in areas like automation, chemical technology and resource management— all key for supporting Manitoba's evolving agriculture sector.

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Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?