Iqaluit (Oct 02/06) - Mother Nature had a surprise for the politicians, who in turn had a surprise for three of the four communities bidding to be home for the new Piqqusilirivvik cultural school.

Fog in Clyde River forced the cancellation of a flight to that community for the Sept. 25 announcement. Clyde River will be the main home for the school, but Louis Tapardjuk, minister of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth, also made the unexpected announcement that Iglulik and Baker Lake will host satellite campuses.

Louis Tapardjuk, Minister of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth, announces Clyde River as the site of the Piqqusilirivvik cultural school at the legislature in Iqaluit last week. Premier Paul Okalik and NTI President Paul Kaludjak look on. The announcement was supposed to have been made in Clyde River, but fog in the hamlet scrubbed a planned flight. - Chris Windeyer/NNSL photo

"The ability shown by each community made this a difficult decision indeed for us," Tapardjuk told reporters at a hastily-assembled news conference in Iqaluit.

Tapardjuk said spreading Piqqusilirivvik over three sites "will offer a diversity of programming and greater access across Nunavut."

Nunavut Tunngavik President Paul Kaludjak predicted the cultural school will provide a boost to Nunavut's education system.

NTI worked closely with the GN's steering committee to select the site, and will be involved in formulating a curriculum for the school.

"Piqqusilirivvik will no doubt help our people in terms of making other people understand how Inuit language and culture will play in the school system," Kaludjak said.

Tapardjuk said Clyde River was awarded the school because the hamlet has traditionally been passed over for government projects.

"And the government was very impressed with the level of spoken Inuktitut in Clyde River," he said.

Clyde River Mayor Peter Paneak told News/North before the official announcement he's happy the decision finally brings much-needed jobs and construction work to his hamlet.

There's no word yet on how the curriculum will be divided among the three locations. The GN has committed $10 million for the project, but there's no final price tag yet. Tapardjuk said he doubted the decision to split the school into three will raise construction costs.

The decision means three of the four communities short-listed for the project will get something. Only Arviat is left on the outside looking in.

Mayor Elizabeth Copland said Arviat would have been a good location for the school because the community hosted an Inuit cultural institute in the 1970s. Elders are active in promoting Inuit culture through community radio and by visiting schools.

"We are pretty disappointed," she said "We thought we'd at least come in second."