Umiujaq daycare remains in temporary space as renovations pushed to 2027

Nearly two years after a burst pipe forced Umiujaq’s Amautik Childcare Centre to close, children are still attending daycare in a temporary municipal building — and renovations to the original facility have been pushed to the spring.

In an Aug. 19 interview, Amautik director Lizzie Tooktoo said she wasn’t sure what caused the delay but that she heard it could be because Kativik Regional Government, which operates Amautik, was looking for a contractor.

A heating system failure in December 2024 damaged the original building. In November 2025, Amautik found a temporary home at the sports complex while it awaited renovations for the original building.

Repairs were initially expected to begin in fall 2025, after construction materials arrived by sealift, with reopening anticipated this spring or summer, Tooktoo told Nunatsiaq News a year ago.

KRG did not respond to questions from Nunatsiaq News about the renovation. 

Amautik now shares the sports complex — a large, gymnasium-like space — with the village’s recreation department, which takes over after the child-care centre closes at 5 p.m., Tooktoo said.

The space is divided into two areas for the different age groups, and staff continue to offer the same day-to-day supervision and group child care they did at the original centre.

Internet access has been a major issue at the sports complex, however, said Tooktoo, who said she has arranged for Starlink satellite internet service to be installed.

The centre currently has eight staff members who care for 30 children between the ages of six months to just over three years old. Parents at Amautik pay a subsidized daily rate of $9.65 per child to use the centre’s services.

The renovation plan will largely preserve the building’s existing structure, Tooktoo said. She participated in at least two meetings with KRG officials this year and said a wheelchair ramp is among the planned additions.