Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

INUVIK
The Children's First Centre received a large amount of support from the Town of Inuvik this week when council passed its interim budget, which included $2.3 million for the early childhood education centre.

Site preparation for the Children's First Centre is underway. The society will get a boost in funding next year since the Town of Inuvik plans to spend $2.3 million from its capital budget on the project. - Samantha Stokell/NNSL photo

Council passed a motion to accept the interim budget at the Nov. 23 council meeting, including $2.3 million in its capital budget for the centre. The Children's First Centre will house Aboriginal Headstart, Totspot Daycare, the Inuvik Pre-school and the Inuvik Child Development Centre in one, permanent building.

"It's amazing really. We're excited and extremely pleased," said Paula Guy, chair of the Inuvik Child Development Centre. "To have a progressive town council who know the significance of the building for long term ... It's not just a daycare, it's a long-term investment."

The centre has already raised $1.5 million but will still need an additional $1.5 million to complete the $5.5-million building. The investment is the largest item in the town's capital budget. Council looked at how much it could contribute to the cause without being detrimental to other town projects and will now decide how that money will actually be contributed.

Mayor Denny Rodgers anticipates that the town will have significant ownership of the building, but how that will work out has not yet been decided. The town wanted to provide this money because there is no territorial or federal infrastructure funding available for early childhood education.

"Obviously it's a much-needed piece of infrastructure in the community," Rodgers said. "It affects everyone. It's most important to let people know that it's not just for the people who have children, but also the people who employ people who have children."

Other project highlights in the capital budget include the spending of $30,000 for upgrading the fire training building, $1.5 million for utilidor replacement and $22,000 for banquet tables and conference drapery and linens for the Midnight Sun Recreation Complex. Overall the town plans to spend more than $5.84 million on capital projects in 2012.

In order to create the 2012 budget, management tried a collaborative approach. Directors of all departments came together and discussed capital projects together. The result is a budget that pleased everyone.

"The directors looked at what would benefit the town, not their departments," said Grant Hood, senior administrative officer for the Town of Inuvik. "Last year the process was not as rigorous as it was this year and having Eric with the skills and knowledge on budgets and processes was a godsend."

Eric Whitworth, the Town of Inuvik's new director of finance, wanted the team approach to ensure all expenditures were necessary. Directors were required to write a letter justifying items in the operating budget and desired increases of more than five per cent.

"The senior management is committed here," Whitworth said. "They want to work as a team and that makes my job a hell of a lot easier."

Revenues for the town are projected to increase by $596,900 to $15,690,200 for 2012 and expenditures are expected to increase by almost the same amount – $544,600 – with increases in every department except for land and fiscal.

Recreation has the largest expense budget, with $3.025 million expected to be spent in 2012 at the Midnight Sun Recreation Complex, the swimming pool and summer day camp.

The interim budget will not be finalized until after property assessments have been completed in the spring.

A public meeting to discuss the budget will be held beginning at 7 p.m. next Wednesday at the Midnight Sun Recreation Complex.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.