Attawapiskat First Nation finally getting INAC funding to construct their new school
Green light for school
By RON GRECH, THE DAILY PRESS - December 11, 2009
The 10-year-long fight is over.
It appears Attawapiskat First Nation will finally get a new elementary school.
Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Hall was told by Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl Wednesday that the new school is on the ministry's list of new capital projects.
Previous INAC ministers had verbally acknowledged the need for a new elementary school in Attawapiskat but the project had never reached the stage where it was recognized within administration as a funding priority.
"This time we're on the capital projects list for new schools," said Hall. "We were never on the list and that's what disappointed us in the past. We had people who worked so hard with designs and figures, spending our own dollars in studies, only to be told in the end that we were not even on the list."
Susan Bertrand, manager of communications for INAC, confirmed the news.
"INAC has scheduled a new school for Attawapiskat in the Ontario Region Major Capital Plan," Bertrand wrote in an e-mail to The Daily Press. "For the next fiscal year (2010-2011), INAC has dedicated an amount of $200,000 to assist the First Nation in updating its school capital planning study. Funding is also planned for the design and construction phases for subsequent years."
It's uncertain when construction on the school may actually begin.
Hall explained the designs for the new elementary school are several years old and need to be updated to determine current estimated costs.
The chief said the community is ecstatic over the news.
A special assembly was held in the community's recreation centre yesterday where children and residents were informed of the government's announcement.
They were overwhelmed, especially with Christmas around the corner," said Deputy Chief Theresa Spence. "It's all over the town and people are pretty excited."
J. R. Nakogee Elementary School in Attawapiskat was closed in May 2000 because of concerns over the effects of contaminated soil and gas fumes from a diesel spill that occurred on the property after the school was built.
Ten portables were set up next to the old school site as a temporary measure. As the years went by, the community became increasingly disillusioned that INAC intended the portables to be a permanent alternative to an actual school building.
The matter came to head in September 2007 when INAC advised Attawapiskat that the J. R. Nakogee school was not in INAC's Ontario region five-year capital plan.
In explaining the timing of this announcement, Bertrand wrote, "the effective implementation of Canada's Economic Action has allowed INAC to review allocations under the First Nations Infrastructure Investment Plan (Major Capital Plan) and to reposition school projects, and move forward with new investments."
MP Charlie Angus (NDP - Timmins-James Bay) who has repeatedly hammered away at the federal Conservatives for not providing the Attawapiskat with an elementary school, hailed the announcement as a major step towards the community achieving its goal.
"The one thing we asked was for the government to make that public commitment," said Angus.
He feels they finally have that with the new school being placed on INAC's capital funding list.
"Once it's on the major capital plan, they can start setting money aside," Angus said. "I think we can trust he (Strahl) is going to keep his word."