Mr. Speaker, earlier this month I had the pleasure of attending the grand opening of the new East Three School in Inuvik.
This is a modern and beautifully designed and constructed 11,500 square-metre building. It is home to Inuvik’s high school in one wing and junior school in the other. It has 54 classrooms, with a large shared gymnasium, library and administration area. The architects who designed the facility worked closely with community members, students, staff and the departments of Education, Culture and Employment, and Public Works and Services to ensure the design reflected Inuvik’s educational and cultural needs.
The school captures both modern elements with its structural design features, and the traditional essence of the community. Multicultural art has been painted in the hallways and displayed throughout the school. Outside there is a beautifully landscaped site with indigenous plants and local materials. It’s very welcoming to students and community members.
Mr. Speaker, the design and construction of the new school also includes many energy-efficient features. It has clean-burning boilers and a heat-recovery system, with computerized energy management. It has daylight-harvesting light control systems which control electric lights, turning them off when the natural light is bright enough. The ventilation system is modern and takes the students’ needs into account by providing more fresh air where students are working.
The new school exceeded the requirements for the Model National Energy Code by a full 56.1 percent. This was independently verified by the Natural Resources Canada EcoENERGY Program.
Equally impressive, Mr. Speaker, are the benefits to Inuvik and NWT residents throughout the construction of this project. Approximately 74 percent of the expenditures for goods and services went to northern contractors and suppliers, and 49 percent went to local companies as registered under the Business Incentive Policy.
As of July this year, the contractor reported that 623 workers were employed in the construction of the school, for a total of 456,000 person hours. Along with office staff of the contractors, designers, planners and the project managers, over 800 people helped make East Three School a reality.
This project is one of the largest and most complex ever managed by the department.
Mr. Speaker, the project team for the new East Three School achieved all of this while completing it one full school year ahead of schedule and over $8 million under budget.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate all who were involved in this project. I also want to thank the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, the Beaufort- Delta Education Council and all the staff at the Department of Public Works and Services. In collaboration with the contractors, architects and engineers, they created a state-of-the-art facility that will be a focal point for the community and for investing in the education of our youth for years to come. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. McLeod.
