Lambton County Council has agreed to financially support Lambton College's proposed $30-million health education centre.
During budget talks Wednesday morning councillors voted 22-15 in favour of the college's request for $5-million over six years.
The funding is conditional on support from senior government for the project.
The college is asking for $10-million from both the province and Ottawa and was hoping to hear back by late April.
President Judith Morris says the county's support is very important.
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A 60,000 sq ft facility is proposed for the college's main campus. The Centre of Health Education and Sustainable Care would house 1,000 students, more than half of them from Sarnia-Lambton.
The college says the centre, with state-of-the-art labs and simulation facilities, will allow it to remain competititve with other post-secondary institutions in the area.
Enniskillen Twp. Mayor Kevin Marriott voted against the college funding request.
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County councillors also considered other grant requests Wednesday:
- A $125,000 request from the Lambton Children's Safety Village was rejected.
- $20,000 was approved for the Deker Bauer Foundation for Suicide Prevention for start up costs for a drop in centre.
- Council granted $42,000 to Four Counties Health Services Foundation for a digital X-ray suite at the Newbury hospital.
- A request from Stones & Bones Museum for $10,000 to build a wheelchair lift was denied.
- The Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership gets $50,000 to upgrade its website and $30,000 toward development of a heavy haul corridor.
