Daniel MacIsaac
Northern News Services

INUVIK (Oct 01/99) - Inuvik's Aurora College project is not on hold, says Education Minister Michael Miltenberger.

Miltenberger was responding Monday to a recent departmental report that the project to build a new Aurora College campus at the Grollier Hall site has been delayed because of territorial financial concerns.

"There've been a number of calls from Inuvik," he said, "and I've been telling them that this P3 project is like the other unstarted capital projects in the territory -- and that no decision has been made."

He explained that like other proposed capital projects around the Northwest Territories, the Aurora project will be reviewed sometime later this year, Miltenberger did not add anything to recent reports, but simply stressed that it has not been placed on hold.

"We want to minimize any apprehension," he said. "Because that's not the case."

But Miltenberger said he couldn't speak for a future government -- and Mike Aumond, executive assistant to Inuvik MLA Floyd Roland, said there's always a chance the upcoming Dec. 6 territorial election, like any election, could affect the outcome of the projects.

"A future government may decide to take other courses of action," he said.

Inuvik Town Council had raised the issue last Wednesday. Mayor George Roach said he'd received vocal reassurance from the education minister that the project was not on hold -- and council directed him to draft a letter requesting the confirmation be put in writing.

The proposed project, worth between $8 million and $10 million, would see the construction of new administrative offices, classrooms and a residence.