Ducharme Elementary School in La Loche will be replaced. (submitted photo/Darch Ahenakew)

By Derek Cornet

Infrastructure

New elementary school announced for La Loche

Jun 23, 2020 | 4:08 PM

The provincial government is committing funds for a new facility to replace Ducharme Elementary Community School in La Loche.

The announcement was made Tuesday morning and it took Northern Lights School Division (NLSD) Director of Education Jason Young by surprise. He said such large projects are typically announced during the release of the provincial budget in March, so getting the green light for the development caught him off guard.

“With all the challenges the community has been facing, it’s certainly welcome and exciting news,” Young said. “I know the people there are ecstatic and appreciative of the government’s consideration to invest money in the North.”

The school is experiencing a number of inefficiencies as Young noted the heating and energy system is poor, and the water and sewer lines are operating at or twice the life expectancy. He mentioned there was also a major ground disturbance resulting in the building to shift, as well as portables added to the structure which are in poor repair.

Ducharme Elementary Community School consists of students between pre-Kindergarten and Grade 6. Approximately 600 students attend the school every year.

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“To invest into an old building, it was more practical to advocate for a new building than restoring or renovating the current one,” Young said.

Young also expects to the new building to take between three and five years to complete. He added initially there will likely be community consultation about the design.

NLSD Chairperson Joey McCallum is also pleased with the announcement.

“The investment into the new school building will provide students with an improved space to learn,” he said. “We know when students have better schools, they will be able to better focus on their learning and thrive.”

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno