Future of Iqaluit, Apex elementary schools yet to be determined

The Nunavut government is going back to the drawing board when it comes to planning for Iqaluit’s elementary schools.

To help do that, government officials are soliciting public input. A second round of public meetings is scheduled at Nakasuk and Joamie schools in Iqaluit and Nanook school in Apex this week, as part of its capital planning process.

“Multiple options, including amalgamation, are being evaluated,” said Greg Belanger, spokesperson for the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, in an email.

All members of the public will have the chance to provide feedback, but parents and caregivers of students from each individual school are the target audience, according to the notice posted to the department’s website last month.

Once the consultation is over, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure will provide options and recommendations to the Department of Education, which will make a decision from that, Belanger said.

During the first round of consultations held last fall, attendees were asked to weigh in on a menu of potential scenarios, including renovating and adding to the existing schools; replacing the existing schools; combining two schools and rebuilding a third school; or amalgamating all three schools.

The Department of Community and Government Services is mandated to do regular maintenance checks of schools to see where repairs are needed and identify infrastructure issues to be addressed. Many schools are due for repairs and renovations.

Last month, Nakasuk school closed for an afternoon after temperatures inside the school spiked to 30 C in some places.

The latest consultation sessions are scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at Nakasuk school, Wednesday at Joamie school, and Thursday at Nanook school.