Maria Canton
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Nov 15/99) - The recent announcement that a French school will be built in Iqaluit will help secure the community's francophone population, says the president of the Association des Francophone du Nunavut.

"We've always had a problem keeping the francophone population stable because parents want French services for their children and because we haven't been able to offer them, they move south," said Daniel Cuerrier.

"Now there is the feeling that we have achieved one more step towards the building of a school."

Announced in the legislative assembly late last month, Cuerrier says the school is slated to be a kindergarten through Grade 9 French as a first language school.

"We have about 40 children in the French language program and about another 10 who will be starting school in the next year or two," he said.

"We probably used to have 60 children, but because we couldn't offer the services the parents moved."

Construction on the school will cost more than $5.5 million and is tentatively scheduled to begin in the spring with a location near Aqsarniit middle school as the possible site.

Nunavut's Minister of Education James Arvaluk says the French school will not only offer the francophone community a new education facility, but will also free-up space in the other schools as well.

"The building of a French school reconfirms our beliefs in cultural diversity in Nunavut," said Arvaluk.

"And from a monetary point of view, it will relieve space and resources in other schools."

The school will receive $4.5 million in federal funding from Canadian Heritage, an additional $530,000 worth of federal money for program costs and a program co-ordinator, $500,000 from the GN and $600,000 worth of in-kind contributions from the Town of Iqaluit and the GN.

Although the drive for a school began in the early '80s , serious negotiations for a school began in the early '90s.

"We are very happy and feel as though we've moved one more step towards the building of a school," said Cuerrier.

As for a high school, Cuerrier says too much funding would be required to build a school that needs facilities for classes that involve lab work.

"It's a matter of being practical, too much funding would be required to set up a high school."