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INUVIK
Starting this month, the new Inuvik child care facility will be receiving a helping hand from the Canadian Armed Forces.

Maj.-Gen. Christine Whitecross, chief military engineer of the Canadian Forces, visited Inuvik July 26 to tour the construction site and look over structural plans with Mayor Denny Rodgers and Terry Halifax, project co-ordinator with the Children First Society.

Construction materials have started arriving on site, and the support pilings are already sunk into the ground.

Right now, 55 military engineers from across Canada are building a camp for Operation Nanook. Once the camp is finished and before it's taken down, they'll be helping with the construction of the centre.

"We're thrilled to be here," said Whitecross.

"It's serendipitous to us ... We try to look for that whenever we can, this is skill building in Northern construction design."

Whitecross said there will be a variety of skilled tradespeople involved, from carpenters to plumbers and electricians.

"This is what we do. We're engineers in uniform," she said.

Rodgers said by the time the military starts helping with construction - around the middle of August - the trusses will be on site and almost ready to go.

"We'll be working on the retaining wall, connecting all the supports and installing the engineered wood girders," said Whitecross.

"I think you'll be shocked with how quickly things go."

With a budget of $4.4 million, Rodgers called the centre a true "Robin Hood project" - with the society busily fundraising for years to make the Children's First Centre a reality.

"To put money into child care is very difficult," he said.

The centre will house the Inuvik Child Development Centre, Aboriginal Headstart, Totspot Daycare and Inuvik Preschool.

The site for the new centre is behind the Igloo Church. It will provide a centralized location for childcare services in Inuvik and has been in the making for more than 10 years.

"We're a little behind where we want to be," said Rodgers.

"It's mainly funding. No one wants to start a project and see it half done."

With changing demographics in the town, the centre will be able to accommodate up to 100 children.

There's a tentative opening date for January.

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