Wynne good for post-secondary, Humber officials say

Jan 29, 2013 | News

 

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By Stephen Donkers and Kaite Boivin

Post-secondary education in Ontario is in good hands with new Liberal leader Kathleen Wynne, Humber College officials said Tuesday.

Humber President Chris Whitaker, said the new premier-designate has always been devoted to investing in post-secondary education in Ontario.

“Given her background and previous role as minister of education, I have met her on occasion, talked with her and I know she is committed to investing in education,” he said.

Wynne was minister of education from 2006-2010 under Premier Dalton McGuinty.

Whitaker also said regardless of whatever political party is in power, he always wants education to be an important issue.

“I always hope no matter who is premier or the minister of training, colleges and universities, education is put as a priority,” he said.

LISTEN: What will Wynne mean to post secondary education

Karen Fast, manager at Humber’s Career Centre , said she is impressed Wynne is already working to fix education issues across the board.

“She has a huge interest in education,” she said. “She has already approached the public school teachers and wanting to get that resolved.”

Fast said the McGuinty Liberals have done a lot for education in Ontario and Wynne should continue the same approach.

“With her background in the ministry, and also because McGunity really did a lot of good things for post-secondary education, I think she’ll build on it,” she said.

Fast also said if post-secondary education continues to improve under Wynne’s leadership, the province’s economy could be affected for the better.

“We know that the more education you have the higher your wages, the more the employers can build on those credentials.”

Humber political science professor Blake Lambert said post-secondary education could hit some bumps in the coming months.

“The Liberals, in a sense, can be like a sinking ship,” he said. “Kathleen Wynne is going to have to be delicate. She is going to have to ensure that she doesn’t offend any of the other (political opposition) sides as no one wants an election.”