Ceiling collapse closes Inuvik's Children First daycare

Parents in Inuvik, N.W.T., have been left scramblingafter a collapsed ceiling caused a water pipe to burst at the community's daycare.

Children First says damage from a blizzard a week ago caused part of the ceiling in the building's multipurpose room to collapse. Thatdamageda water pipe leading to the sprinkler system andflooded classrooms.

The water soaked through floor boards and becamehundreds of icicles underneath the building.

About 90 children attend programs at the daycare.

"It was definitely a difficult week," said Kelly Penner, chair of the ChildrenFirst Society's board. Her daughter is in the pre-school program.

"Parents were scrambling to find alternate sources of child care," she said. "We have parents switching back andforth in terms of special leave and vacation to be able to cover their child care needs."

Inspectors have given the daycare the green light to use a room at the town's recreation centre for itspre-school program, which has about 36 children.

Children Firstis still looking for locations for itsinfant and after-school programs.

There is no indication of when the building will be able to reopen. The daycare says itwill have an update from its landlord, the Town of Inuvik, later this week as the town is still waiting to hear back from its insurer and inspectors.

The Children First building opened in 2013, following years of fundraising by the society. Kobayashi and Zedda Architects of Whitehorse won Canadian Architect magazine's Award for Excellence for the design.