MUN to waterproof its tunnels, fix up other buildings as part of 8-year plan infrastructure plan

Memorial University is upgrading some of its crumbling infrastructure after years of criticism and being the subject of a scathing auditor general report that detailed money that should have been spent on repairs was used on computers.

On Tuesday, MUN announced its board of regents approved an eight-year deferred maintenance program that will include demolitions, refurbishments and construction projects throughout its St. John’s campus.

“I compare it to owning a car and doing the oil changes as part of regular maintenance. If you don’t do them or they start to pile up, then you can experience bigger issues with your car that cost more money,” MUN associate vice-president of facilities Rayna Luther told CBC News.

Luther said MUN’s deferred maintenance list is long.

In January 2025, Auditor General Denise Hanrahan gave Memorial University a failing grade in its facilities management report.

In her report, Hanrahan found that MUN used its campus renewal fee — funding designated to pay for the institution's most pressing deferred maintenance projects like its asbestos-riddled tunnel system and mould — on computers and heavy machinery for staff.

As of March 2024, MUN carries  $481 million in deferred maintenance liabilities altogether.

The eight-year program will address maintenance needs at the top of that list.

“We are going to demolish Coughlan College. We are going to waterproof and do some aesthetic work on our tunnels. We are constructing a new primary data centre on campus. We have an elevator program for modernization, and then a little later in the program, we're going to look at some building envelope work,” Luther said.

Coughlan College will be the first to go. The building has been partially closed to students since 2015. Luther said all services and groups housed in the building have been relocated and the first phase of demolition has started.

Demolition will start in April and the goal is to have it done by the summer, said Luther.

MUN will also begin improving its tunnel system in the summer.

Parts of the St. John's campus have included the familiar sights of blue tarps or buckets or even hoses to catch leaks and address other problems.

This work comes after years of concern from students over broken safety alarms and accessibility elevators, leaky roofs and asbestos warning signs about the aging underground tunnels known for years as the "MUNnels" among students.