Najuqsivik Daycare will reopen in Sanikiluaq
Two daycares had closed due to ‘administrative and financial troubles’
The Najusivik Daycare in Sanikiluaq is expected to reopen with support from Nunavut’s Education Department after ‘administrative and financial’ troubles, including criminal charges against three people, forced it to be closed last December. (File photo)
Najuqsivik Daycare, a non-profit organization, is set to eventually reopen its two daycares in Sanikiluaq with Government of Nunavut financial help.
The organization’s two daycares in the hamlet were closed in December 2021 because of “serious administrative and financial troubles” within the organization, Hudson Bay MLA Daniel Qavvik, whose riding includes Sanikiluaq, said Monday in the legislature.
Between Dec. 20 and Dec. 24, three people were charged in relation to activities at Najuqsivik, RCMP Cpl. Tammy Keller confirmed. Charges include theft, fraud over $5,000, fraud under $5,000, and laundering proceeds of a crime. The fraud was related to the Najuqsivik bank account, Keller added.
Qavvik told Nunatsiaq News that he could not elaborate on the charges or the administrative and financial troubles facing the daycares.
Najuqsivik’s daycares will be reopening through a funding arrangement with Nunavut’s Department of Education.
The arrangement can give the daycares access to funds to help with operations, maintenance, health and safety, and starting up costs, Department of Education spokesperson Troy Rhoades said.
Minister of Education Pamela Gross said in the legislature on Monday that once a funding agreement is finalized, the community of Sanikiluaq will be made aware.
But the reopening date of the Nakuqsivik daycares is still uncertain as both centres have frozen pipes and will need repairs, Gross added.
Chris Reid is a vice-principal at Paatsaali High School in Sanikiluaq and one of the liaison’s in ensuring Nakuqsivik’s service will resume. He said he had a child going to one of the daycares and found out in January, along with the rest of the community, that Nakuqsivik would not be open in the new year.
Community members contacted the Department of Education of the daycares’ closure and the department responded immediately, Reid said.
“From a parental point of view, and for the general community, it would be a wonderful thing for the daycares to open to provide that essential service,” Reid said.
Having the daycares closed also affected residents who had jobs at Nakuqsivik since they are now unemployed, Qavvik said.
“There’s not many opportunities to work within the community,” he added.
I just hope they hire someone that has knowledge in Bookkeeping and doing Financial work and someone that is an honest person for the community. I wish them the best of luck and I’m happy the parents that work for a living will have Daycare for their children, hope it runs well, all the best (Y)
How does every Daycare experience this? Where are the checks and balances?
Hopefully the Department of Education steps in across the Territory. It has become clear that most Hamlet’s are not capable of staffing daycares. Daycares are an essential service and with some only opening seldomly and sporadically, Nunavummiut everywhere are affected.
The Board of Directors assumes responsibility for oversight with some daycares, I’m not sure about this one. But not all boards are equally good at this task either, some are quite dysfunctional too.