Saskatchewan

Conexus proposes move to U of R College Avenue campus

Conexus Credit Union is proposing a move to the University of Regina's College Avenue campus as well as an $8-million donation to help fix the century-old building.

As part of proposal, credit union will contribute $8.25M to renewal fund

Regina City Council agreed to donate 1.1 hectares of park land that will be used for a 80,000-square-foot Conexus credit union office building. In exchange, Conexus will donate $8.25 million to the U of R for upgrades to its College Avenue campus. (Google Maps)

Conexus Credit Union is proposing a move to the University of Regina's College Avenue campus as well as an $8.25-million donation to help fix the century-old building.

U of R president Vianne Timmons outlined details of the plan on Wednesday. 

It would involve Conexus moving 200 staff from six smaller offices to a new facility just west of Darke Hall.

It would also mean the unprecedented addition of a large commercial enterprise to the Wascana Park area.

In a news release, the U of R and Conexus said the proposal would include a joint atrium with Darke Hall, accessibility improvements to the facility, a space for a business incubator site "and other potential amenities for the public." 

Conexus would contribute up to $8.25 million for the College Avenue campus renewal project.

The U of R has been raising money for years as part of a plan to renew the crumbling main building on College Avenue. It recently said it has raised $7 million of its $10 million goal.

Among the improvements already in the works is an upgrade to the attached Darke Hall. It will be getting a new roof, a brick façade, and improved accessibility.

The main campus of the U of R is on Wascana Parkway, about three kilometres south of the College Avenue campus.