KSB move postponed because of lack of money

ODILE NELSON

The Kativik School Board tore into the Quebec Ministry of Education late last week, accusing the provincial government of reneging on its financial commitment to the board’s estimated $40-million relocation plan to Nunavik.

The school board spelled out its exasperation with the government in a terse press release issued on Jan. 31. The statement said the provincial government’s December decision to withhold future funding for the construction of Northern housing and administrative facilities has forced the Montreal-based board to delay the third phase of its five-step relocation plan.

The government informed the school board of its decision only days before the Christmas break. But, according to the school board, the provincial ministry agreed to come up with an alternative plan to ensure the move continued early in the New Year. When the suggestion never came, the school board decided to make its grievance public.

“In light of the refusal of the government to respect its prior commitments to the Board, the Kativik School Board has no alternative but to modify the scope of the Phase 3 implementation,” the release says.

“The School Board has expressed its utter disappointment to Minister Michel Létourneau, Minister for Regional Development, underlining the absurdity of having a head office in Montreal, while its sole area of interest and activities is over 1,500 kilometres away, in Nunavik.”

After years of lobbying, the government agreed to finance the board’s relocation project in 1998 and the board began moving its administrative and technical personnel to Kuujjuaq and Kuujjuarapik in 2000. But though the government supported the first two phases of the move, the press release states that the board has not been able to secure any funds for the final three stages since 2001.

The third phase of the project involves building additional housing units in Kuujjuaq so that 12 administrative positions may be transferred to Nunavik. This stage must now be delayed for at least a year and future phases are also in question.

According to Debbie Astroff, a public relations officer with the board, the government’s decision is incomprehensible.

“Now if you were to speak to someone from the government, to a bureaucrat, they would say, ‘We never promised anything beyond the first phase. But why fund the first phase if you never have the intention of following through?” Astroff said. “It’s rather pointless. It’s dishonest, I think, and it’s a waste of taxpayer money.”

Paul Rémillard, who oversees native affairs for Quebec’s education department, said the government remains committed — in principle — to the school board’s relocation process.

However, he said budget constraints and the impending self-government agreement between Nunavimmiut and the Quebec government coloured the ministry of education’s decision.

“That could have an influence on the school board and all organisms in the North…. I wouldn’t make a direct link but it’s in the minds of everybody,” he said.

The negotiations could see the amalgamation of the board, and Nunavik’s other administrative bodies, into one unified organization. The school board has sought an injunction against the self-government process, claiming Makivik-appointed negotiators do not have the mandate of Nunavimmiut. But if the Quebec Superior Court rules against the school board, it will be bound by the self-government agreement.

“It adds to the difficulty of getting an approval for the whole project because you can imagine if the two governments and the Inuit party make an agreement and there is eventually the establishment of a regional government. They will need some offices to work,” Rémillard said. “So is it a good idea at this time to try and build an administrative office in the North while we know maybe in some years there will be a bigger office built to group all the organizations?”

In the meantime, Astroff said, the situation is taking a toll on the organization and its employees.