Inuvik copes with crisis
Action affects students

Daniel MacIsaac
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Jan 14/00) - The Samuel Hearne senior girls basketball team held its usual practice in an unusual place Monday night: the Aurora College gymnasium.

Like many students across the region, the girls are being affected by the ongoing job-action by teachers across the territory resulting from their dispute with the government. Like many territorial athletes, the girls are also doing their best to make alternate arrangements and find substitute coaches to help them prepare for the upcoming Arctic Winter Games.

"At this point, most of the students are concerned about the effects on extracurricular activities and sports," said Will Brake, Hearne student council president. "We'd like something settled quickly because we're into sports; they're important up here."

In the meantime, James Anderson, director of the Beaufort Delta Education Council, said students are free to make use of school gymnasiums and libraries after school hours. But he added they must make an application to use the school gyms, just like any other community group would.

"Irrespective of whether one bargaining unit or another chooses to take job action, school facilities will remain open," he said.

Anderson said the council has also implemented its own contingency plan for dealing with the job action, and that anyone looking for information regarding school closures can call toll free to 1-877-493-2444.

Yvonne Carpenter, chair of the Inuvik District Education Authority, said she just hoped what she described as a "no-win situation" would soon be settled, but added she understands teachers' frustrations and the sympathy they've earned.

"I think the teachers outside of Yellowknife, in the communities and especially the isolated ones, have more of a crisis happening," she said. "It's less financial than resource-related, but it puts them in a more stressful situation.

"The government has stated over and over again that education is their top priority, but they're just not living up to what their documentation says and what they're saying in the house."