Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 17/00) - What's acceptable for one, has to be acceptable for all Nunavut communities.

That's the message delivered by MLAs during the legislative assembly session in Iqaluit this past week.

The debate centres around the $14-million estimate of replacing the Cambridge Bay high school destroyed by fire in 1998.

MLAs are not happy with the design of the structure -- which they find excessive -- and an arrangement between the hamlet and the Nunavut Government has also piqued their interest.

The estimate for the new school includes plans for an expanded gym, which is adding $385,000 to the construction total.

The hamlet of Cambridge Bay has agreed to raise $85,000 of that sum, with the Nunavut Government paying the remaining $300,000.

Tunnuniq MLA Jobie Nutarak brought a number of concerns to the House.

Nutarak said members have been frustrated by often vague, evasive and unsatisfactory answers concerning the high school project.

"The Cambridge Bay school is more expensive than other new schools in Nunavut," said Nutarak.

"We do not need experts to tell us if it is an expensive design.

"We will be happy to hear from Government of Nunavut officials and ask them about the design implications on the budget for this project."

Baker Lake MLA Glenn McLean said members are looking at the arrangement concerning the new gym and want to hear if their ridings will be treated the same way.

"Basically, we're looking at two trains of thought which may be at odds with each other," said McLean.

"On one hand, the government is still putting in $300,000 for that new gym and that's money which could be used for something else in another community.

"Then there's the issue of if this is done in Cambridge Bay, then the government should be willing to pay the extra 75 per cent in any community that wants a larger gym bad enough to raise 25 per cent of the cost."

Approval of the Cambridge project might be delayed for another two weeks.

Members have submitted a number of recommendations to the government, ranging from prioritizing projects to the unveiling of Education Minister James Arvaluk's promised 20-year plan.

The project is expected to be approved if the government approves a number of the recommendations brought forward in the House.