GULL BAY, FIRST NATION -- Parents in this remote community are still concerned about their children’s education.
Financial problems had forced the community to shut down many social services including emergency services and the school.
Band council members, including Chief Wilfred King, met with Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada last Friday to ask the agency for funds to get the community back on its feet. The federal agency gave nearly $1 million to get those essential services back up and running, and Health Canada is sending another $240,000.
King said they have been able to reopen their health centre, but it will be another three months before they can look at reopening the school.
They are retaining an engineering firm to do an inspection on the building and King said council met with parents at a community meeting Thursday night.
“They’re very concerned about the education of their children. They’ve expressed the desire to have their kids return to school and making sure they get the education they deserve,” King said.
The school was built 17 years ago and was meant as a temporary facility.
“It’s dilapidated. It’s not conducive to a learning environment. I think that the community, it’s time for them to get a new school,” said King.
The students are so far behind now it will take a lot of effort from the whole community to pull together and get through this, he added.
King was chief of Gull Bay from 2002 to 2010. He was re-elected earlier this month and told media last week the community was basically bankrupt.
Aside from the school and health centre, they are also looking to reinstate their community services. However, he said they have some missing equipment that includes a grater, front-end loader and dump truck.
“We were lucky that the chief of White Sand First Nation called and offered to plow our roads for us in Gully Bay in health and safety reasons. We expressed our gratitude to that community for coming to our rescue and plowing our roads,” King said.
