Okanagan College food, wine and tourism centre gets $48M from province
Hundreds of new students will be trained in the hospitality sector once a new Centre for Food, Wine and Tourism opens in the Okanagan.
The provincial government announced the project today, March 21, for the Okanagan College campus in Kelowna.
“The tourism and hospitality sectors are facing challenges in finding and keeping skilled workers, and Okanagan College is a leading provider of culinary and tourism programming in the province,” Selina Robinson, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, said in a news release.
“This investment will ensure people can access world-class training supported by industry in the Okanagan, and can then go on to pursue a rewarding, meaningful career in the region’s equally outstanding hospitality industry.”
The province is contributing $44.8 million towards the project with the college, business and community partners kicking in $4 million for a total cost of $48.8 million.
It will include modern teaching spaces, food labs, beverage research and development facilities, the ministry said. The centre will bring together all food, wine, and tourism programming on campus, be home to the Okanagan Chef School and the college’s student-staffed restaurant, Infusions.
The Centre will add 125 culinary students and 450 hospitality and tourism students each year.
Construction is expected to start this year with an opening date in 2026.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Rob Munro or call 250-808-0143 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
