New daycare for families in Iqaluit

Contract for design of new daycare awarded

IQALUIT, NU, Aug. 3, 2017 /CNW/ - Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) is pleased to announce that families in Iqaluit will have a new, modern daycare facility designed by EVOQ Architecture Incorporated.

The new daycare will be the largest in Nunavut, accommodating approximately 60 children and employing up to 12 people.

INAC is funding the design and construction of the daycare, while not-for-profit Tundra Buddies Day Care Society will be the private operator of the new daycare. The society is exploring partnership options with the community in an effort to be inclusive and representative of the city's residents. 

The tentative opening date of the daycare is the summer of 2019.

Quick Facts

• EVOQ Architecture Incorporated has been working on architectural projects with Inuit and First Nations for the last 30 years.
• The cost of the design contract with EVOQ Architecture Incorporated is $721,030 and includes an Inuit Benefits Plan that commits them to hiring a certain amount of Inuit labour, sub-consultants, and suppliers. This does not include the cost of construction.
• The contract award is the result of a fair, open and transparent procurement process administered by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC).
• EVOQ Architecture has engaged Panaq Design as a sub-consultant for the project. Panaq Design is an Iqaluit-based, Inuit-owned and registered consultant group offering various construction-related professional services in Nunavut.
• Public consultation led in cooperation with the Tundra Buddies Day Care Society will be part of the design process.
• The new daycare will be located in Iqaluit at the corner of Niaqunngusiaq and Paunna Roads.

Quotes

"People deserve high-quality, affordable child care no matter where they live – it is a leading contributor to families' economic security. This new daycare, will contribute to healthier, more sustainable communities by providing more people in Iqaluit with options to pursue education or to work outside the home.We are honoured to be supporting them and their futures."

Honourable Carolyn Bennett
Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada

"The board of the Tundra Buddies Day Care Society is thrilled by this announcement and sees this step as a very concrete advancement of the project."

Rachel Théorêt-Gosselin
Tundra Buddies Day Care Society President

"We are honoured to work with the Iqalummiut once again, to help them give shape to their vision of this new daycare."

Alain Fournier, Architect
EVOQ Architecture
Panaq Design

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SOURCE Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada

For further information: Media Relations, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, 819-953-1160; Tundra Buddies Day Care Society, Rachel Théorêt-Gosselin, President, [e-mail]