The news out of Baker Lake put a smile on many a face when it was announced recently that Baker Lake Daycare secured $6.35 million to construct a new daycare for the community. The previous facility was destroyed by fire in 2021. The funding comes from numerous sources, with the Kivalliq Inuit Association (KIA) kicking in a $2.48-million contribution agreement and the Government of Nunavut’s (GN) Early Learning and Child Care program providing an additional $3.46 million. Funding help will also be provided by both Peter’s Expediting Ltd. and Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. Amounts of funding aid from those two sources had not been announced as of press time. The new daycare will accommodate up to 56 children and is expected to be open by 2026. It will be centrally located and feature separate rooms for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. The facility’s construction will be managed by Baker Lake company ABF Arctic, which has plenty of experience with industrial projects in Nunavut. Baker Lake Daycare board of directors chairperson Ami Tootoo said the board was beyond excited when the news came out that the contribution agreements were ready to be signed. She said it took them about 12 years to get to where they’re at today. “We were so, so, happy and excited when getting confirmation that our proposals were approved and the contribution agreements were ready,” said Tootoo. “We were in constant contact with the GN and KIA, so we knew that everyone was on board and wanted to support the daycare. “It was just a matter of hammering out those details to get the contribution agreements done and the funds moved over. “I asked the architects on the project to try and incorporate as much culture as they could,” she added. “After I made that request of them, they did their own research on Inuit culture and Baker Lake and, in their research, they found prints or artwork done by a local artist, so they took inspiration from that. “I did request of them that it would be really nice if we could have a dome section somewhere in the design to make it feel like the children are in an iglu. And, since the building is modular designed, what we went with is a structure in the middle of the cubby area shaped like an iglu, but with spots inside of it for cubbies.” Tootoo said it was a bonus that they used Baker Lake artwork — the new building will incorporate a green and yellow fencing design drawn from a print by renowned local artist Jessie Oonark. “It’s very important to have amazing local artwork displayed that way,” said Tootoo. “Another goal of mine is to try and get as much Inuktitut in the daycare as possible. I’m sure we’re all aware that Inuktitut is, kind of, a dying language, so my hope is that all of the staff who come on board with the new daycare will already have those language skills, or be willing to up their skills and take it upon themselves to learn more Inuktitut.” Infrastructure in the North is very lacking and the daycare has a volunteer board for a non-profit society, she noted. She said the board members are all parents of children in the daycare, and she wanted the world to see that they’re daycare parents and volunteers who have other parts of their lives that they have to be responsible for. “A project like this is totally doable. If you’re willing to put in all the hard work; those many hours of meetings, planning and proposal writing, then it’s totally possible. “You don’t need to be anyone rich, famous or special to get something like this done. We’re just regular Joes on our board,” Tootoo said. “Now that the whole big wide world knows about our project, I really hope that Nunavut begins to see the value in early-childhood education. It’s not just about kindergarten to Grade 12. It starts when they’re infants and toddlers. I really hope that starts coming up in Nunavut, where daycares make a huge, huge difference. “Every community needs one.”
Baker Lake set for new $6.35-million daycare
