Is Brampton Getting an Important New Institution?

Brampton is a city that’s constantly growing, with a ton of new development in the works.

Brampton is a city that’s constantly growing, with a ton of new development in the works. From new condos to a new university, Brampton is a hotspot for new and exciting things, and a brand new institution could be on its way next.

You might have heard that Ryerson University and Sheridan College are joining forces to bring a university to downtown Brampton. In addition, there’s a Centre for Innovation that’s also part of the plan.

It’ll be a joint-use space complete with public and academic libraries and an innovation zone.

Now, led by Ryerson, the post-secondary institutions are also devleoping a proposal for a National Centre for Cybersecurity, “where learning, research, public safety and business come together to understand and respond to the emerging cybersecurity challenges for Canada’s businesses, institutions, citizens, and governments,” reads a recent report from the City of Brampton.

The report was presented at the 2018 Federation of Canadian Municipalities from May 31-June 3, 2018.

According to the report, a National Centre for Cybersecurity in Brampton would “bring together leading post-secondary institutions, corporate Canada, national security services, provincial actors and innovation through fostering of scale-ups and start-ups, education and training, research and development, certification, public awareness and policy.”

This is directly related to the federal government’s new National Cyber Security Strategy and its plan to create a Canadian Centre for Cyber Security.

Here in Brampton, the report boasts that the city has linkages to national and international cybersecurity centres of excellence, a solid research network across Canada, and the potential to spur further innovation and economic growth.

“The City is asking for Federal government support for $30 million of capital costs for the construction and development of a centre for innovation,” reads the report.

“A committed Federal partner is crucial, including funding, to help advance proposals leading to the creation of a National Centre for Cybersecurity in downtown Brampton.”

Brampton City Council has committed up to $150 million for the new university faculty and Centre for Innovation.

It’s true that Brampton is growing in its reputation as a technology and innovation hub.

And cybersecurity is indeed a global threat.

According to the report, cybercrime damage to businesses, instutitions, and others, will cost $6 trillion annually by 2021, and up to 50 billion devices will need securing by 2020.

The federal government’s new cybersecurity strategy was announced in the 2018 budget, with a $507.7 million committment over five years.

It includes creating a National Cybercrime Coordination Unit within the RCMP, and even a new organization to explore skills development within cybersecurity.

For now, it remains to be seen whether the proposal will get approved.

What do you think of Brampton getting a National Centre for Cybersecurity?