Yellowknife (Nov 22/06) - A $2,000 reward is being offered for information that will lead to an arrest in relation to the St. Joseph school fire in August.

"I still believe that somebody has heard something. People talk," said Shannon Gullberg, chair of the Yellowknife Catholic School Board.

The Catholic School Board encourages anyone with information about the fire to call Crime Stoppers.

The reward is being offered through the school's principal insurer, Royal and SunAlliance.

The replacement of four classrooms and the mini-gym destroyed by fire at St. Joseph school will occur during the planned retrofit, said trustee Mary Vane, who is in charge of facilities. Six other classrooms damaged by the blaze have been repaired ahead of schedule.

Currently the school board is negotiating with architects to find the best design for the school's retrofit. They will be choosing from three submissions.

Chair and vice-chair remain

Shannon Gullberg and Larry Purcka were re-elected to the positions of chair and vice-chair of the Yellowknife Catholic School Board on Wednesday night.

They were the only ones nominated for those respective positions.

The June 30, 2006 audit results are in, and YCS has increased its ownership of assets in the district by $1 million over the previous year.

All but $5,000 worth of repairs and replacement of fire damages at Ecole St. Joseph damages will be covered by the school's insurance company.

However, the fire will result in a budget increase of $500,000 to reflect the school's ongoing and one-time costs from the blaze which include rent, furniture, learning materials and increased staffing.