Chesterfield Inlet needs garage to end school bus breakdowns, MLA says
Community and Government Services minister proposes $2M for parking garage program
Alexander Sammurtok, the MLA for Rankin Inlet – Chesterfield Inlet said that Chesterfield Inlet needs a heated garage because its school buses break down in the cold winter weather. (Photo by David Venn)
Chesterfield Inlet’s MLA is calling for a heated garage for his community’s school buses because the buses break down in the winter.
Rankin Inlet North–Chesterfield Inlet MLA Alexander Sammurtok brought the issue up in the legislative assembly on March 16.
“It is the children who suffer because there is no transportation for them, especially during extremely cold school days,” he said.
Sammurtok also asked for clarity on which department — Community and Government Services or Education — would provide the garage.
“So far it seems that neither department has committed to addressing this need,” he said.
When buses cannot run, only children who can get their own rides can go to school, Sammurtok said in an interview with Nunatsiaq News, adding children who cannot get a ride have to stay home and so do their parents, as a result.
Funding for a heated garage in Chesterfield Inlet might be available through the Department of Community and Government Services, according to the department’s minister, David Joanasie.
He spoke to legislature’s committee of the whole on March 10 about a proposal to include $2 million in the 2022-23 capital budget to launch the municipal parking garage program.
Its purpose would be to give hamlets funding to plan and eventually build their own parking garage, Joanasie said.
However, at the committee meeting, Arviat South MLA Joe Savikataaq pointed out that each garage would take up to $500,000 for planning, which means only four communities could access the program.
Joanasie said that if the parking garage program is approved, the Department of Community and Government Services would establish a policy by April 1 to lay out which hamlets are eligible.
WOW, joe is a math whiz. How many garages did he build,oh right George was finance minister, would not let him
I think the previous POINT!?! I lack Executive Directors that CANNOT appear to VOICE or introduce infrastructure budget’s in small communities. This may have be part due to low grade with MATH WIZ due to continues stutter.
I’m confused. Is it April 1st already? $500,000 to plan a garage? And another $500,000 to plan another garage? Either the reporter got it wrong or the GN is even more incompetent than we fear … my money is on the reporter getting it right.
If they really wanted to go to school they would walk. There’s like 400 people in Chester they don’t need a school bus.
In Ontario, you have to live a minimum of 1.6km from a school in order to be eligible for a bus. In Chesterfield Inlet, not a single person lives 1.6km from the school. The furthest houses from the school are only about 1.1km.
It takes ALOT more time and effort to move INFRASTRUCTURE forward when you DON’T have easy laidback luxury; TIM HORTON’s, MCDONALT’s, BURGER KING, or WENDY’s in your back yard. WIth all the luxury, and resources in ONTARIO this certainly is easy to develop ideology i.e. what is EDUCATION in Nunavut? Is it ACADEMIC or Socio-Pathy?
This kind of makes you stubborn when flakes don’t mix. Cute!
I know we live in looney tunes land, but COME ON!
“MLA Joe Savikataaq pointed out that each garage would take up to $500,000 for planning”
This is corrupt.
These buses, especially in the small communities, are just status symbols. DEA’s see them in the larger communities like Iqaluit and Rankin, maybe Cambridge Bay and they just have to have one regardless if they have qualified drivers, garages or competent mechanics to fix them when they break down. People look for any pathetic excuse to not send their kids to school because they are too lazy to be a parent and get them out of bed. Since Nunavut came into being attendance has gradually gone lower and lower. How does anyone expect our territory to get on it’s feet independently when kids are not even going to school regularly. I get very tired of hearing people whine about stupid things like this.
With help from the GN the Hamlet of Rankin Inlet built a 2 bay heated garage that could provide parking for 4 large pieces of equipment for $925.000.00, 4 years ago using a private contractor, and was done 1 year after applying for the funds . Under the new CG@S new criteria this would the about 2 to 3 years and cost $500.000.00 in pre construction costs before before a contract would be awarded .
Government bureaucracy.
Don’t forget the fuel trucks they have the same problem for the small company that gets the fuel delivery contract so its really hard on vehicles because they are diesel engines.
We want to go back to NWT because this Nunavut thing is not working.
What is going on? Nunavut (businesses are) is fleecing the GN of what little money there is; if the bus (or buses) are in the hands of private business, let them build it themselves. If not I still say GN is at the mercy of the contractors and many most of them are making a killing left right and center, I know we have stupid politicians at the House but this is too much…Gimme gimme gimmie (some good lovin”) went off the air as soon as Ohio Express were disbanded (lol), but this attitude has taken over by the contractors. But seriously; we now have a sitting government of so immature, almost childish like ppl trying to run a government….it’s going to get worst, i.e. fuel next fall….
Who knows, with fuel costs so high maybe people will go back to dog teams!