Humber Polytechnic

Training and Education, Arts, Media and Entertainment

Toronto ON

Humber Polytechnic (Humber) was established in 1967 as Humber College, located on Lake Shore Boulevard West in Toronto, and it officially opened its North Campus in 1968. Over the years, Humber has expanded its locations.  Through its partnership with the University of Guelph, the University of Guelph-Humber was created in 2002 on the North Campus, and in 2021 the Downtown Toronto campus was established. Today, Humber offers more than 200 programs and 17 areas of interest, including bachelor's degrees, diplomas, certificates, and apprenticeship programs, serving more than 86,000 total learners with more than 10,000 international students from 120 countries. Humber's educational approach emphasizes a combination of theoretical, experiential, work-integrated learning that fosters employability among its graduates. Ranked as one of the Top 10 applied research post-secondary institutions in Canada, Humber comprises six academic faculties, including Liberal Arts & Sciences, Applied Sciences & Technology, Business, Health Sciences & Wellness, Social & Community Services, and Media, Creative Arts, and Design. Humber is governed by the Board of Governors, and in 2023 Dr. Ann Marie Vaughan became its fifth President & CEO, the first woman to hold the position.  

Humber Cultural Hub
The Humber Cultural Hub (HCH) is a place where education, innovation, and the arts converge within a state-of-the-art facility designed to support emerging creators and industry professionals alike. This visionary space, spanning multiple interconnected venues on the Lakeshore Campus, represents a bold $200 million investment in the future of arts, media, culture, and creativity in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Building on Humber’s expertise in teaching and learning, culture of experimentation and innovation, comprehensive programming, community-engaged practices, and industry partnerships, the HCH aims to enhance the creative process, applied research, and research-creation in the creative industries through interdisciplinary co-operation.

Phase I of the HCH opened in Fall 2024 with Phase II set to follow in 2026, and both are part of Unlimited: The Campaign for Humber with a bold ambition to ignite discovery and innovation, accelerate student potential, and transform the learning experience. Unlimited will create an environment for achievement, and it will set the stage for a future full of limitless potential and success for Humber students. Designed as a multidisciplinary creative hub, the HCH features a 144-seat recital hall optimized for concerts and live recordings, a digital recording studio with Dolby Atmos technology (Phase I), and cutting-edge performance and production spaces, including a 500-seat multidisciplinary performance hall equipped with immersive video and audio capabilities (Phase II). These spaces, along with film production studios, rehearsal rooms, and outdoor performance areas, will make the HCH a one-of-a-kind institution in Canada.

A key element of the HCH’s mission is to redefine creative education, moving beyond traditional classroom models to embrace experiential learning and interdisciplinary collaboration. Its integration with Humber’s Faculty of Media, Creative Arts, and Design provides extraordinary opportunity for cross-pollination and expanded learning opportunities across the wide array of disciplines within the Faculty’s portfolio; film and tv production, media communications, music, visual & digital arts, acting, comedy writing & performance, theatre arts, game programming. Aspirations to enliven the entire Lakeshore Campus speak to the HCH as an approach to culture, art and community which is applied beyond the new facilities. 

Furthermore, the goals for HCH to partner broadly across creative sectors ensure that it will be well positioned at the forefront of cultural innovation, rooted in meaningful collaboration. Artist-in-residence and producer-in-residence programs provide students with mentorship opportunities while fostering the creation of groundbreaking work. The HCH also supports applied research, exploring areas such as spatial sound engineering, accessibility in comedy, and immersive audience engagement.

The HCH is deeply embedded in its community, positioning itself as the cultural anchor of southwest Toronto. Embracing a philosophy of the ‘campus as a canvas,’ HCH is poised to play a crucial role in expanding access to arts and culture outside the downtown core. Major events such as Nuit Blanche pave the way for other similar art and cultural activities to be hosted on its grounds, attracting artists and audiences from across southern Ontario. With its world-class facilities, forward-thinking programming, and deep community engagement, the HCH is poised to become a national leader in creative industries education, research, and performance. It represents not just a building, but an ecosystem—one that nurtures talent, drives economic and cultural growth, and cements Humber’s role as a global innovator in arts and technology.

Direct reports to the Director, Humber Cultural Hub (Director) are currently anticipated to include a Programming Coordinator, Program Support Officer, Operations Manager, Front of House Coordinator, and non-direct supervision of staff in both marketing and technical services, which will be supplemented by student support roles. The size and scale of staffing, however, will be finalized once the Director is hired and delves more deeply into the needs of HCH and the broader Humber community.