In 2006, College of New Caledonia received a $56,915 grant from Northern Development through the Economic Diversification Infrastructure program towards this $255,065 project. This has been a funding partnership of College of New Caledonia, Northern Development, and Olympic/Paralympic Live Sites
2012- Quesnel residents watched the Olympics in style with their public Olympic Live Site venue that is used to host special events at the College of New Caledonia. In addition to enjoying the Olympics, the site is now used for trade shows, industry workshops, and career fairs.
The event space is equipped with a satellite dish, HDTV receivers, video distribution equipment, audio visual control system, video projector and motorized screen, surround sound, lighting, and tables and chairs making it the perfect venue to watch the Olympics in 2010, and a legacy project from the games going forward.
The atrium is now a valuable resource to the community of Quesnel and the College of New Caledonia. It is used by many groups including the School District which now hosts ‘Career Leap’ which brings in professionals from around the province to educate high school students and community residents on different career paths. The Rotary Club uses the site annually to host a telethon and auction fundraiser and the seats in the atrium are hard to come by during the school week as it is the common area for students to gather and study.
Annual class reunions with graduation classes from up to 50 years ago have connected in this vibrant community multimedia media and reception area.
"This atrium is such an incredible centre for the college and Quesnel. It has been so well received by students and residents in Quesnel and any visitor is always impressed with how beautiful it is."
Mary Glassford, former Director, Cariboo Regional DistrictThe community of Quesnel has established a state-of-the-art special event venue that is now enabling the community to host conferences, tradeshows, and industry workshops, all of which draw in visitors from outside of the community of Quesnel. Extra courses are available through video conferencing which expands the formal education of students at the Collage of New Caledonia in Quesnel and surrounding areas.
In order to be able to host conferences and events, the kitchen was upgraded to give the Collage of New Caledonia the event catering capability. The upgraded kitchen created the opportunity to start a culinary program which the Collage of New Caledonia has taken full advantage of.