I'm not seeking more money this morning. Rather, I'm seeking increased eligibility and access to existing funding, particularly through the housing accelerator fund.
The second is building a green economy. The key elements of what we have in our region for our universities include aging infrastructure, infrastructure that is not climate change-resilient going forward. We are looking to provide other opportunities, working with the green buildings strategy through NRCan, so that we can include all post-secondary institutions, including those in Atlantic Canada, with a fair chance to access funding for that programming.
I have a quick example from my own university. We are about to switch on North America's tallest retrofitted photovoltaic cell system. It will generate 100,000 kilowatt hours annually. It will power the attached residence building and several other buildings.
I will be very clear: There's not one cent of federal money supporting that initiative. We go to the bank. We're not eligible under existing programming. I just want to make that point clear: We do the right thing, but it's very important that we think about ways in which universities could become eligible to be working in partnership with you to continue to do the right thing in terms of climate change resilience as we go forward.
Certainly, therefore, there is a further request, and it is indeed, I might suggest, yet another request that is not for new money but for increased access and eligibility. I know that my good friend Kody Blois has heard me make this pitch before, but really, it's about ensuring increased access for our universities as drivers of a regional economy.
The third key point is related to demography, demographic change and population growth in our region. Our universities in Atlantic Canada enjoy an important role in bringing students from around the globe to our region. International students are key drivers of our research, our diversity and our building out the next generations of high-quality employees for Canadian businesses.
We would call for continued focus on the part of IRCC around visa processing. We have concerns about disproportionately high rejection rates for international students in Atlantic Canada. Many colleagues around the table will be well aware of the House of Commons report of 18 months ago on those challenges. We encourage you to think carefully about those. The value of international education is significant for us in Atlantic Canada. It's our way forward. We enjoy and benefit from it, all of us in our region and indeed across our country.
Thank you very much, committee members.