An Inuvik makerspace and digital media workshop space looks set to shut down at the end of March because it cannot find funding to continue.
The centre, named Innovate, was initially billed as a “micro-manufacturing” facility and ran its first workshops in January 2018.
In the legislature last month, Inuvik Boot Lake MLA Denny Rodgers said Innovate is now in a “dire situation” and needs $200,000 to keep going.
Education and industry minister Caitlin Cleveland said while some business and arts grants might be available to help, the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment had provided some $420,000 in recent years and could not cover the full gap.
“It’s certainly a huge loss to the community,” Cleveland said in late February, committing to raising Innovate’s future with Aurora College’s governors as the centre is run through the college’s Aurora Research Institute.
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Rodgers said Innovate had allowed Inuvik residents “to get a leg up to potentially start a small-scale business,” while its workshops are attended by people of all ages.
“There’s been many Elders attend things like ‘create a sign for your cabin night,’ or they’ll work with antler,” he said.
Chris Paci, the vice-president of research at Aurora Research Institute, said Innovate had received funding for the past six years through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
“We sought renewal of the funding last year and were not successful,” Paci said by email.
“For the last 10 months we have been talking with the Town of Inuvik and Indigenous governments to transform Innovate into a community hub for digital media marketing and makerspace.
“While there is interest, no funding has been secured so we are looking at closing at the end of March.”
