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       Frank McKenna, deputy chair of the TD Bank Group and former New Brunswick premier, addresses a luncheon at a meeting of New England governors and Eastern Canadian premiers in Charlottetown in 2017.

       Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press

       The University of New Brunswick has announced a new institute intended to create jobs and prosperity in the field of digital technology and transformation.

       Former New Brunswick premier Frank McKenna has donated $5 million and plans to raise another $50 million for the institute that will carry his name.

       UNB President Paul Mazerolle says the McKenna Institute will act as a catalyst to develop new ideas and train the workforce to meet future needs in the technology sector.

       He says the aim is also to expand the use of digital technology to other areas such as agriculture and health care.

       McKenna says the COVID-19 pandemic suddenly had millions of people working from home, and it became clear more people need digital tools for the future.

       He says New Brunswick can take a leadership role, noting there are already nearly 5,000 New Brunswickers working in cybersecurity and that success can be repeated in other areas.

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