Construction plans for Kakivak Association facility set for 2026
This artist’s rendering depicts what Arctic Bay’s future child-care facility will look like when it is completed. (Photo courtesy of Kakivak Association)
NationTalk: Nunatsiaq News – Plans are in motion to build a new daycare facility in Arctic Bay.
Kakivak Association signed a 50-year land lease with the Hamlet of Arctic Bay Wednesday that will allow the association to start work on the $14-million project, Jeremy Tunraluk, who is on the association’s board of directors, said in an interview.
“I’m very excited that it is now set in stone and that it is guaranteed that we will be building a child-care facility in Arctic Bay,” he said.
The goal is to begin construction in 2026 and for the facility to be up and running by 2027.
Kakivak Association is a community and economic development association that provides a variety of services to Inuit in the Qikiqtani Region, including employment and training, business development and childcare.
Funding for Arctic Bay’s daycare comes from federal money funnelled through Qikiqtani Inuit Association and Kakivak. The money will be portioned out over three years, starting this year.
QIA is pitching in $5 million it received from the federal Indigenous Community Infrastructure Fund and Kakivak is using $9 million from the federal Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care program.
The daycare will include 650 square metres of indoor and outdoor deck space with two classrooms big enough to accommodate 32 preschoolers. There will also be an activity area for 12 infants with change rooms and a place for naps. A central hub will include a kitchen, laundry, storage, accessible washrooms, staff offices and a meeting area, an Oct. 11 news release from Kakivak Association said.
“Right now, there is a preschool up and running in Arctic Bay,” said Tunraluk, referring to Arctic Bay Aboriginal Head Start, which runs the community’s half-day preschool.
“In the past I know they’ve had a hard time finding space to hold their preschool programs. We should be able to accommodate that better in the new facility.”
The daycare facility will be federally licensed, which means families will pay $10 a day to enroll a child in one of the spaces.
The Nunavut Government has a goal to create 238 $10-day daycare spots across Nunavut by 2026. As of May 6, 159 new daycare spots had been created.
NCC Development Ltd. will be building the Arctic Bay project, while design and construction administration services will be provided by Concentric Engineering, a consulting company based in Iqaluit.
Tunraluk said he also anticipates his association’s facility will help provide food security for children in Arctic Bay, which has a population of just over 1,000 people, through the provision of healthy meals.
When the time comes, the Arctic Bay Childcare Society will be in charge of hiring staff, including the facility’s executive director, Tunralik said.
“We’re very excited that this will create opportunity, not just for the children and parents, but for employment in the community,” he said.
By Nehaa Bimal