Dane Gibson
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jan 07/00) - The future of a popular Yellowknife day-care centre is in the hands of the city fire marshall, and options to ensure its survival seem few and far between.

The Neshda Day Care Association, which cares for 37 Yellowknife children, has operated out of a 45-year-old building on 45th street for the past 10 years.

A recent commercial building and fire inspection on the aging property indicated that it wasn't up to code.

The non-profit association learned it would cost between $80,000 and $100,000 to get the centre up to compliance. The fire marshall's office set a deadline of Dec. 31, 1999 to do it.

"The fire department has told us we have to fix the building or find somewhere else to run our day care," said association board member Donna Smith.

"Currently, we are overstaying the order we were given but right now the fire department knows we are pursuing alternative options. As long as we're doing something, they won't kick us out -- but at this point we are at the mercy of the fire chief."

Neshda vice-president Donna Pitt said they currently pay $3,200 a month to rent the 3,000 square-foot house. That doesn't include maintenance or utilities. Pitt said the association has paid the Naidoo family, who are the leaseholders, $385,000 in rent since they signed the lease a decade ago.

That lease runs out on March 31, 2000. Currently, the board is scouring the city to find a suitable building to purchase because they don't want to invest any more money into a building that doesn't belong to them.

Pitt said they also want to expand Neshda Day Care, which currently has a waiting list of 15, to include infant and after-school child care. Expansion is something that can't be done in their current location.

Neshda board members have informed Mayor Dave Lovell of the situation, and they have asked the Yellowknife MLAs to help save the organization.

"The day care situation in Yellowknife is overburdened, which is why we must continue to offer this essential service. We're hoping there may be a property out there that someone might have to offer us," said Pitt.

"Ultimately we want to expand, so if we put money anywhere we want to put money into something that belongs to the organization."

The Neshda Day Care Association is funded primarily by user fees and fund-raising. Smith said they are getting by, but without a place to hang their hats, the association will fold.

"Because we are on a tight timeline, we need something to come along," said Smith.

"The loss of Neshda would mean the loss of six full-time jobs, it means some parents whose children we care for may have to quit their jobs, and it means the loss of 10 years of child-care experience at a time Yellowknife can't afford to lose these services."