Clyde River (Sep 25/06) - A multi-million dollar cultural school will be built in Clyde River, News/North has learned.

Cabinet ministers were scheduled to travel to the Baffin Island hamlet today, Sept. 25, for the official announcement.

Clyde River Mayor Peter Paneak said the announcement is great news for his community.

"Nunavut government never puts anything in Clyde River," he said through translator Peter Iqalukjuak. "They step over Clyde River for locating government offices."

Paneak said officials from the Department of Culture, Languages, Elders and Youth were in the hamlet last week to give word of the decision. That was so the community could make plans for a celebration set for today, he said.

A government spokesperson confirmed there was an announcement scheduled in Clyde River Monday, but declined to give more detail.

The school will be built on a vacant plot on the road to the hamlet's landfill, Paneak said.

The site is ready for construction, though that won't begin until 2007, he said.

"That was the reason they chose Clyde River," he said.

The GN is contributing $10 million towards the Piqqusilirivvik cultural school. When completed, the facility will play host to students from across the territory. They will study everything from iglu building to traditional navigation and conflict resolution.

The bidding process was heated, with nine communities vying for the project.

In July that list was cut to four, with Arviat, Baker Lake, Iglulik and Clyde River making the short list.