Iqaluit (July 10/06) -Four Nunavut communities remain in the running for a multi-million dollar Inuit cultural school, the territorial government announced last week.

Arviat, Baker Lake, Iglulik and Clyde River are finalists for the centre, which community officials hope will bring jobs, resources and a certain amount of prestige.

"It is good news. We'll keep pushing," said Arviat mayor Elizabeth Copland after finding out her hamlet made the short list.

While the school's price tag has not been finalized, the government committed $10 million to the endeavour.

According to the department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth, the centre will be designed to reinforce traditional Inuit activities and the Inuktitut language.

Students, who can enrol from across Nunavut, could take courses in everything from iglu building to navigation to conflict resolution.

"The government of Nunavut is committed to making sure Inuit culture, language and heritage remain strong in our communities," said Minister Louis Tapardjuk in a media release.

The government plans to announce the location in the fall.

Copland plans to continue lobbying territorial officials for her community.

Arviat, she said, was home to a cultural institute in the 1970s.

"We know we can handle it."

Meanwhile, officials in Cape Dorset, one of five communities left off the short list, are miffed with the government's decision.

"We're not happy about it, absolutely," said mayor Fred Schell. "It was the wrong move."

With almost 30 per cent of Dorset residents involved in traditional arts - a tally that saw the hamlet crowned the artistic capital of Canada - the community is an ideal spot for a cultural school, he said.

"When you think of Inuit art, you think of Cape Dorset," said Schell, who planned to lobby MLAs and officials in the hope of reversing the decision.

Rankin Inlet was another community that did not survive the cut.

Mayor Lorne Kusugak said he was disappointed but understood the need to de-centralize government services.

"We can't get everything," Kusugak said last week. "There are a lot of other communities out there. I'm sure whichever one gets (the cultural centre) it will be the right choice."