Federal aid for the reconstruction of a school destroyed by fire

The Waterhen Lake First Nation in Saskatchewan could soon benefit from federal assistance to rebuild its school destroyed by a fire earlier this week. The announcement was made Friday by Federal Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Gary Anandasangaree, during an interview with CBC News.

The fire which broke out Tuesday afternoon at the Waweyekisik educational center in this community did not cause any injuries. However, the entire building was engulfed in flames.

This is an absolutely heartbreaking situation. I mean the school is the centerpiece of Waterhen Lake First Nation said Gary Anandasangaree.

Mr. Anandasangaree had visited the school just two weeks ago, before this incident. He said the federal government, through Indigenous Services Canada, provides support to the community and school .

According to him, consultations are underway with the community to determine the next steps.

I hope that the young people can finish the year somehow and that we will have concrete results for them in September.

An investigation underway to determine the causes of the fire

The fire reportedly broke out on the roof of the school’s art studio and quickly spread throughout the building.

The Chief of the Waterhen Lake First Nation, Blaine Fiddler, indicated earlier this week that the devastating loss from school could have been avoided. According to him, the community had seen the danger coming for years.

We have made it known that there is an urgent need to improve and replace construction materials so that they best meet current safety standards ,explains Mr. Fiddler in a letter published on Facebook on Wednesday.

The leaders of the [ Première Nation de Waterhen Lake], former and current, have lobbied several governments to assert our need for a new school, but to no avail. This is unacceptable.

For his part, Mr. Anandasangaree said he was “not aware of the previous problems […] “. However, he said he hopes the new facilities will meet the needs of the community.

In a press release issued Friday afternoon, Mr. Fiddler asked community members to stay away from the school area, which he said is now a dangerous area, while the investigation into the fire is in progress.

Blaine Fiddler also indicated that the First Nation obtained [ du bureau régional de Services aux Autochtones Canada ] secured funding to begin cleaning and remediation of the school area .

As the school is an old building, it is very likely that the place is contaminated and designated as a health risk area. If the assessment reveals this, specialist health and safety procedures will be implementedspecifies Mr. Fiddler’s statement.

A meeting will be held soon to discuss the next steps in the cleanup. Teachers will need to start preparing for a return to class plan this fall, adds Blaine Fiddler.

Temporary classrooms will also need to be set up and ready to accommodate students while the First Nation begins planning and construction of a new permanent school.

We have received assurances from the federal government that the construction of the new school is a priority and will be accelerated said Mr. Fiddler.

With information from Pratyush Dayal