Learning CITI

Tuesday morning this week saw the launch of Learning CITI, a forward thinking effort to provide new wireless avenues for learning in the centre of Winnipeg.

The project will provide important wireless links to the University of Winnipeg, the Red River College's downtown campus (represented by President Jeff Zabudsky at the launch), the Centre for Aboriginal Human Resource Development (CAHRD), the Neeginan Institute of Applied Technology and Smart Partners of Manitoba. The project will provide two community hot spots where wireless access will be available - one of these is at the International Centre.

In the top photo, Wayne Helgason, President of CAHRD, Simone Smith, Chair of Smart Partners of Manitoba, and Lloyd Axworthy, President of the University of Winnipeg join in the ribbon cutting for the event.

In the bottom photo, Simone Smith and her co-chair Dale Oswald join me afterward the ribbon cutting. Smart Partners of Manitoba played an important role in getting this initiative going. The initiative was very dependent on many people and, as Axworthy indicated in his remarks, it has the potential to help people in downtown Winnipeg who may not otherwise have easy access to learning on the internet. Indeed, Axworthy spoke of three goals for the project 1) providing digital education 2) overcoming the social and economic divides to provide equal and open access and 3) breaking down barriers between institutions allowing a better ability to work together and cooperate in the goal of providing better educational opportunities for Manitobans.