Penticton posted Jul 10, 2024 @ 11:30am by Cheyanna Lorraine

Okanagan College's Penticton campus is getting a 101-bed student residence

Penticton’s Okanagan College will be getting a new student housing building within the next two years.

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education announced that students will have access to 101 affordable, on-campus beds.

The 89-unit building will be open by fall 2026.

<who> Photo Credit: Okanagan College

The mass-timber building is expected to cost $24 million and the province is providing $23.5 million while Okanagan College is providing $500,000.

“Okanagan College’s first student-housing beds in Penticton will allow more students to live on campus and focus on their studies,” said Lisa Beare, minister of post-secondary education and future skills, in a news release.

“This project is another step towards building 12,000 student beds across the province.”

This project joins three others, which are opening this fall in Kelowna, Salmon Arm and Vernon.

The Kelowna campus will have 216 student beds while the Vernon campus will have 100 beds and the Salmon Arm campus will have a new 60-bed building.

“Having an affordable place to live and the supports that come through student housing is going to be a game-changer for learners in the South Okanagan and throughout the Interior who want to attend our Penticton campus,” said Neil Fassina, president, Okanagan College.

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