Durham College announced today that its Centre for Food (CFF), which is known for its unique blend of creativity and innovation in design, has been awarded a 2015 Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO) Award.

ARIDO, which conducts the annual ARIDO Awards to showcase excellence, innovation and originality in interior design, recognized the CFF in the Public and Institutional Spaces category with entrants judged on design elements, budget and project objectives, strategies employed, overall creativity, examples of project results and sustainability and collaborative elements.

With the capacity to accommodate 900 students, the CFF is Durham Region’s first-ever post-secondary presence focused on field-to-fork. Designed by Gow Hastings Architects, it offers warm woods, soft stones and natural colours that create an inviting and open atmosphere conveying a connection to nature. Ample windows cast light into the heart of the building’s atrium where a two-storey living-wall herb garden highlights the space. The atrium also serves as a central meeting place for special events and celebrations. Showcasing food preparation, the windows on the floor above provide a glimpse into the culinary labs, where marble, Corian, stainless steel and ceramic tile reduce visual clutter, maintain sanitation and enhance function.

“Gow Hastings Architects truly brought our vision for the CFF to life,” said Don Lovisa, president, Durham College. “We were committed to the creation of a unique teaching and learning facility that could also support cooking demonstrations, workshops and corporate events; Bistro ’67, our full-service, teaching-inspired restaurant; and Pantry, our retail store, while utilizing eco-friendly elements and maintaining an atmosphere of innovation and creativity. This wonderful recognition confirms that we have done just that.”

Celebrating the best in Ontario’s design profession, the ARIDO Awards bring superior design to the forefront each year by recognizing winning projects in ten different categories: residential; retail spaces; workplaces; health-care facilities; marketing centres; public and institutional spaces; hotels and recreational spaces; restaurants, bars and clubs; restoration and adaptive reuse; and special projects.

While recognizing the exceptional work of ARIDO members, the awards also serve to raise public awareness of the power and effect of interior design among the Ontario public.

“It is an exceptional privilege and honour to win this award,” said Valerie Gow, partner, Gow Hastings Architects. “This award, one of the most highly regarded distinctions in the interior design community, recognizes excellence, innovation and creativity through an intense competition adjudicated by esteemed industry representatives. We are extremely proud that the CFF was selected as one of the best design projects in Ontario.”

Created by the college in direct response to the demands of the local culinary, hospitality, tourism, agriculture and horticulture sectors, the CFF houses a 70-seat, green-certified restaurant, Bistro ’67, and Pantry, a retail store featuring fresh-baked items, meals-to-go, preserved foods and ready-to-cook meals created by students in the college’s culinary programs. The grounds feature an apple orchard, agricultural planting fields, gardens and greenhouses that support academic applied-learning and research while growing fruits, vegetables and other produce for use in its kitchens, laboratories and Bistro ‘67.

Durham College is pleased to welcome Andrée Robichaud to its Board of Governors as a new external member, effective December 10, 2015.

Robichaud, who takes over from former Governor Renate Ilse, brings a wealth of management and governmental experience within the health-care sector to the position. She is currently president and chief executive officer of Rouge Valley Health System in Toronto, Ontario and has served in the same roles for numerous other health authorities including the Thunder Bay Regional Health Science Centre and the Vitalite Sante Regional Health Authority in New Brunswick. In addition, she has worked in senior leadership roles with the New Brunswick Ministry of Health.

“Strong governance is incredibly important, especially as Durham College continues to develop and grow,” said Robichaud. “I am looking forward to contributing to the success of both students and the institution as a whole through my participation on its Board of Governors.”

Robichaud holds both a degree in recreation and a Masters of Public Administration from the Universite de Moncton. As part of the board, she will work with its 16 other members to provide oversight and leadership for Durham College and its students.

“On behalf of the Durham College Board of Governors, I am pleased to welcome Andrée to Durham College, “ said Pierre Tremblay, chair, Durham College Board of Governors. “Her significant knowledge and unique expertise complement the strength of our existing Board and I look forward to working together to provide guidance to the college as it continues to evolve.”

To learn more about the college’s Board of Governors, visit www.durhamcollege.ca/bog.

Thanks to the kindness and generosity of donors and volunteers, the annual campus Holiday Food Drive was able to raise more than $47,000 to provide assistance to 275 Durham College (DC) and University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) student families, including more than 700 people in total.

Holiday Food Drive co-chairs Kevin Dougherty and Brad MacIsaac were especially grateful to the more than 100 volunteers who joined them on December 20 at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre to pack and deliver hampers.

“The success of the drive would not be possible without the kindness of volunteers,” said Dougherty. “Thank you to everyone who contributed food, money, time and resources to this year’s campaign.”

One recipient also wanted to convey their gratitude and let everyone involved in the campaign and hamper delivery to know how appreciative she is of their efforts:

“When my husband passed away five years ago and I decided to go back to school, I didn’t anticipate how challenging things would be financially for myself and my three children. This coming year I am set to graduate. Your assistance with the wonderful food baskets these past few years has helped us tremendously at a very difficult time of the year and we want you to know how much we appreciate your kindness, contributions and efforts. On behalf of my family to all of you, thank you, happy holidays and a very happy and healthy New Year.”

With the New Year fast approaching innovative ideas are sure to follow, which is why FastStart DC, along with the Spark Centre, is once again offering its popular Accelerator program for the winter 2016; applications are now being accepted.

The Winter Accelerator is looking for passionate and motivated Durham College students and alumni with an interest in entrepreneurship and innovation. Over the course of 10 weeks, participants will develop their businesses, meet with industry professionals and participate in seminars and pitch competitions, allowing them to take their innovative ideas and ventures to market faster, while utilizing the professional services of an experienced support team.

All those who are interested and eligible to participate are encouraged to apply before the January 6, 2016 deadline.

For more information on the DC Winter Accelerator, including specific program dates, please visit our webpage.

In recognition of being an exceptional place to work, Durham College (DC) has once again been named one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers for 2016. This is the sixth consecutive year the college has received this honour.

Home to over 770 full-time employees, some of whom have been part of the college family for over 35 years, DC is proud to be acknowledged for its commitment to its faculty, support and administrative staff. Benefits for full-time employees include skill-building and development, the opportunity to move into various roles throughout the college, investment in education for employees and their families through tuition subsidies, a robust pension plan and maternity and paternity leave top-up payments. These benefits, coupled with a supportive work environment where the focus is on community, has created a highly engaged and motivated employee base, as indicated by an annual one per cent employee turnover rate.  

“We rely on the vast experience and expertise of our employees to help ensure that the student experience comes first,” said Scott Blakey, chief administrative officer, Durham College. “Our employees often tell us that the college is like a family. It is a sentiment that underlies everything we do as we all work together for the betterment of the entire college community.”

Greater Toronto’s Top Employers is an annual competition organized by the editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers. This special designation recognizes the greater Toronto area employers that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work. Organizations are judged on several categories including physical workplace; work and social atmosphere; health, financial and family benefits; vacation and time off; employee communications; performance management; training and skills development; and community involvement. Employers are compared to other organizations in their field to determine which offers the most progressive and forward-thinking programs.

For more information, please visit www.canadastop100.com/toronto/.

Durham College (DC) was recently recognized for its contribution to the flourishing farming industry in Durham Region. The second-annual Celebrate Agriculture Gala, hosted by Durham Farm Connections at the Royal Ashburn Golf Club, welcomed community members to gather together in celebration of the region’s agricultural roots.

During the event, DC was awarded the Spirit of Agriculture award that recognizes the contributions of an organization that supports and champions the agriculture industry. Maureen Calhoun, associate dean, School of Science, Engineering & Technology, accepted the award on behalf of the college.

“I am extremely proud of our food and farming team,” said Calhoun. “Several years ago Durham College had a vision to create a school that could embrace a field-to-fork concept, networked with our local agricultural community. Now this concept has become reality at the Centre for Food. This award is a direct reflection of the hard work and dedication students and employees put into bringing the field-to-fork vision to life.”

The field-to-fork vision is based on the harvesting, storage, processing, packaging, sale and consumption of local food. This vison continues to grow at the Centre for Food (CFF), allowing students from DC’s culinary, hospitality and horticulture programs to directly help strengthen the link between the college and the community.

“Students truly experience field-to-fork as they see the product they’ve grown in the fields and greenhouse served at Bistro ’67, the college’s teaching-inspired restaurant located in the Centre for Food,” said Calhoun.