Pikangikum to receive new school

For the first time in 60 years, Pikangikum First Nation will have a new school built in the community after the federal government announced on Aug. 9 that it has committed funds for the project.
Students in Pikangikum previously attended the Eenchokay Birchstick School, the only educational facility in the community, which was built in the 1950s. For years, the community has called on the government to build a new school since the school was designed to house 250 students when in 2005 the community had a student population of about 800. Even with the school falling into disrepair, only portables were brought in to ease the overcrowding.
In 2007, the Eenchokay Birchstick School burned down, leaving all the elementary and high school students to attend classes in portables.
Five years later, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development (AANDC) Minister John Duncan announced his department has committed to building a new school for the community.
“We are so happy that Prime Minister Harper, Minister Duncan and our MP Greg Rickford recognize the importance of having a new school in Pikangikum that for the first time since 1950 we will be drumming in our community again,” Chief Peter Quill said in a media release.
Funding for the school will come from the $175 million earmarked for new schools and major renovations included in the federal government’s Economic Action Plan 2012. The funding is additional to the $200 million annually budgeted to support school infrastructure in First Nation communities across the country.
“Our government is proud to work with Pikangikum First Nation to bring a new school to the community,” Duncan said in a media release. “We are taking swift action on Economic Action Plan 2012’s commitments to improve infrastructure in First Nation communities through targeted infrastructure investments.”
Pikangikum First Nation is responsible for managing all aspects of this project, including tendering and selecting contractors. The project’s costs will be finalized following the competitive tendering process. During the construction phase, the contractor and subcontractors will seek to create employment and training opportunities for local community members whenever possible. Construction of the school is expected to take up to five years to complete.
Pikangikum First Nation has 2,433 members, with 2,343 living on reserve.