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Rankin to get $5.5 million trades school

GN says renovations of old college mechanic shop due for completion in 2009

SARA MINOGUE

CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE
Rankin Inlet Mayor Lorne Kusugak welcomes the new announcement, flanked by Rankin Inlet South MLA Levinia Brown, Premier Paul Okalik, Education Minister Ed Picco and the Kivalliq Inuit Association’s Joe Kaludjak in the Rankin Inlet community hall, where the politicians were surrounded by the 120-foot-long Quilt of Belonging. (PHOTO BY LEE TOWNDROW)

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“It needs a complete retrofit,” said Pamela Hine, the Government of Nunavut’s deputy minister of education, as she surveyed the greasy, dusty mechanic’s shop this past Saturday.

The Government of Nunavut committed $10 million for development of a trades school last fall.

Rather than starting from scratch, the GN opted to renovate the trades shop at the Kivalliq Campus of Nunavut Arctic College.

Funding will also be set aside to renovate and expand existing training locations at the Iqaluit and Cambridge Bay campuses, a GN press release said.

The Rankin building first went up as a five-bay garage for the Government of the Northwest Territories.

In 1989, about two-thirds of the building was turned over to Arctic College, which added a classroom and started running trades training programs. These programs continued after division when Arctic College became Nunavut Arctic College.

The remainder of the building houses the Department of Community and Government Services’ small plumbing shop, which will soon have to find a new home.

Mike Shouldice, Nunavut Arctic College’s campus director, said the garage has been used to teach carpentry Level 1, guide training, pre-trades training, carpentry and the housing maintenance program.

“Basically, anything we could offer,” Shouldice said.

CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE
A “complete retrofit” estimated to cost $5.5 million will make this humble garage the new centre of trades training in Nunavut by 2009. (PHOTO BY SARA MINOGUE)

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Outside of the garage, there is room to expand. The building is located on a flat area on the edge of Rankin’s downtown, which leaves enough room to add on to the building, or to run large equipment around in the dirt.

Shouldice says the strongest demand is for trades related to mining, including heavy duty mechanics, heavy duty equipment operators, and all of the construction trades. He also sees a need for trades relating to transportation, including airport janitors, ramp operators and freight expediters.

Trades programs will be developed as construction takes place over the next three years. The GN also announced it will build a new college residence with the trade school, once funds are approved.

Once the school opens, Shouldice expects to see 75 students rotate through the college every year. He says that will have an impact when mining companies ask what kind of labour force they can find in Nunavut’s communities.

“At some point in time, you’ll be able to say ‘strong,’ Shouldice said.

A plan to transform the Canadian military’s little used forward operating location (FOL) site as a trades school was scrapped when Education department officials learned they may have to vacate the site at any time after 30 days notice, if the military decided they wanted to use the building.

The FOL site was also a long walk from the rest of town. From the new location, it’s only a short walk to the Wild Wolf Café, and only a bit further down the street to reach the Kivalliq campus of Nunavut Arctic College.

The new building is already run off residual heat from the power plant. That means that operating costs will not have to include expensive heating fuel.

About 50 people convened in Rankin Inlet’s community hall to hear the trades school announcement on Feb. 18, at the same time as a giant traveling quilt was on display, made up of patches from 192 countries and 72 aboriginal communities around the world.

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