Christine Kay
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (July 15/02) - Industry Canada's Computers for Schools Program is bringing more technology to Nunavut. About 300 multimedia computers will be arriving in communities across the territory this fall on the sealift.

"There were many schools that needed computers, but couldn't afford them and at the same time, there were government departments and private companies that had a lot of computers with some life in them that they just couldn't use," explained Neil Burgess from the Nunavut Computers for School Program.

And that's how it all started. The program is run throughout Canada and began distributing computers in Nunavut in 1999. More than 800 units have come to Nunavut this way.

Old computers are gathered from across Canada and refurbished through the Computers for Schools Workshops.

These sorts of workshops get the students involved. The first one in Nunavut began in Iqaluit's Inuksuk high school. Students gain a skill by learning to repair the computers and then help support their community by donating them to Nunavut schools, libraries and community access programs.

"They're learning basic computer repair skills and they get credit for doing it," said Burgess. But for now, this workshop alone cannot meet the demands for computers across Nunavut and so it's receiving help from the South. Burgess says the program wouldn't be viable if shipping costs were a concern. That's where companies like the N3 Alliance come in. This ocean transport company, along with several others, have offered their assistance.

N3 Alliance will be bringing the computers to Nunavut communities this fall on its regular runs. It has donated this service and has also contributed to the trucking costs of getting the machines to a port for pick up.