School portables for Colville Lake, N.W.T., delayed again

School portables for Colville Lake, N.W.T., were meant to arrive this winter, but they never made it onto the winter road into the community.

Residents are frustrated, saying they need the extra space to reduce crowding in the school. 

"It just keeps getting delayed year after year, our students are in desperate need of that extra space for learning," said Isabel Orlias, the chair of the Colville Lake District Education Authority.

Orlias says she received an email on March 19 from the territorial government saying the units won't arrive this winter.

Even though the portables are ready, the email stated the territory couldn't find a way to transport them to the community. It also said the N.W.T. government explored alternative transportation options, but unfortunately, those didn't pan out.

The portables are meant as an interim solution while the community works with the territory to build a new school. The community of around 150 residents has been planning to build a new school for years to replace its current facility.

Orlias says she has two kids attending the school right now and has heard from many parents asking for updates about the new units arriving.

"I know most parents will be disappointed because it's been years since we told them that we were getting it in," Orlias said.

David Codzi is the assistant band manager for the Behdzi Ahda First Nation. He says their school is overcrowded and noisy, and they badly need the extra space.

"It's just too much students and not enough space," Codzi said. "Why isn't it here now? They had a whole year to figure out transportation."

The current school is a log building, and because there are only partitions separating the rooms, sound carries from one classroom to the next, he says. This makes it too distracting for students.

The community has been asking the government for updates since January, Codzi said. They even started working on buying furniture and cleared and prepped the site with rigs and a gravel pad for the units.

"We were keeping the snow off of it. But then what's the point now?" Codzi said.

He says the community is working to build a new school, but it is still in the early stages. He says they have most of the equipment ready and are still working on the location design.

With the winter road closing Monday, he says the community has no choice but to wait.

CBC News reached out to the N.W.T. government, but did not receive a response by deadline.