Canada’s Minister of Indigenous Services has announced that the federal government will allocate $13 million to construct a temporary school in Eabametoong First Nation. This decision comes after the community’s school, the John C. Yesno Education Centre, was set ablaze by four teenagers, leaving almost 300 students without an educational facility.
Patty Hajdu, who is both the Minister of Indigenous Services and the Liberal MP for Thunder Bay-Superior North, met with community leaders and the Matawa Tribal Council to assure them of the government’s support in establishing a temporary replacement school. However, there is urgency in the project as the work needs to be completed quickly to ensure students are prepared for the upcoming fall semester. Hajdu emphasized that the timeline is tight and recognized the joint efforts of Eabametoong council and experts from Matawa in finalizing a detailed quote, which has already been approved.
The next step involves strategizing the logistics to optimize the use of remaining ice roads. Although warmer weather has impacted the viability of these roads for several northern reserves, Hajdu asserts that the completion timeline will not be affected by Mother Nature. Contingency funding is also available to support any necessary airlifts of the modular units planned for the temporary school.
The modular units will be owned by the First Nation, allowing for their future utilization once a permanent school is constructed. Hajdu revealed that the community was already in the design phase before the devastating fire occurred on January 25. This advanced stage is expected to expedite the turnaround time for the permanent school project, which could take up to three years from the commencement of construction.
While there are multiple stages involved in any new building project, Hajdu stressed that reaching the design phase indicates that the feasibility study has been completed and the costing is being finalized. Nonetheless, the construction of the school typically requires one to three years from the groundbreaking.
The commitment of $13 million from the federal government will provide hope and relief to the Eabametoong First Nation community as they rebuild their educational infrastructure. By swiftly executing the construction of a temporary school and working towards the development of a permanent facility, the residents of Eabametoong can envision a future where their students have access to a nurturing and supportive learning environment.
