Housing Supply Challenge: Round 3 - Northern Access

Pewapun Construction Ltd.

UpFast Indigenous is spotlighting a successful housing model from the collaboration between Atoskiwin Training and Employment Centre and Pewapun Construction Ltd in Nelson House, Manitoba. This model builds energy-efficient homes using structurally insulated panels (SIPs). It also focuses on creating employment opportunities for Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation's youth through a training-to-employment pathway.

The initiative has expanded to Rankin Inlet to build student housing for Nunavut Arctic College. This will support students and their families and prepare trades students for future employment through valuable skills and an "earn-while-you-learn" approach. This strategy addresses the urgent need for affordable housing and facilitates the transition between educational and employment.

The construction process is tailored to the northern climate, with work mainly happening indoors in winter. Panels are made in Nelson House, then shipped to Churchill, reducing transport distance and risks.

Stage 2 of this project involves creating mentorship opportunities and leveraging Nelson House facilities in collaboration with the Nunavut Housing Corporation and Nunavut Arctic College. The project aims to train and empower youth to build houses using SIPs, resulting in a sustainable model with a long-term vision for addressing barriers to supply in the North.

Taylor Architecture Group

The Fort Good Hope Construction Centre is set to be a community-owned initiative in the Dene community of Fort Good Hope, N.W.T. This project will empower the community with tools and resources needed to build new housing. This will be a significant step towards self-determination in housing and create permanent jobs. This initiative will also enable a local organization to build homes within the Sahtu Region for the first time in decades.

This solution will address several barriers to building and maintaining housing. It will do this by offering a positive work environment, adequate material storage space, stable year-round jobs and continuous on-site training opportunities.

Fort Good Hope, lacking a traditional housing market, faces housing challenges and high unemployment levels. This project aims to address these challenges. It will also stimulate the local economy by enabling residents to participate in and benefit from regional capital projects.

As part of Stage 2, this project will continue to build on the years-long work in self-sufficient housing development in the community. This involves building the Fort Good Hope Construction Centre, providing a space to train community members in modular home construction. This will result in a resilient local construction centre to reduce the time, cost and risk for building and maintaining housing.

Keepers of the Circle

This solution will create a matriarchal social enterprise in Northern Ontario, led by Indigenous women. It focuses on building modular passive homes that are designed with an Indigenous lens and tailored for northern climates. This solution addresses the significant housing challenges in Northern Ontario, such as the scarcity of culturally appropriate, accessible and sustainable housing solutions. Keepers of the Circle will empower Indigenous communities, especially women, by giving them a voice in the construction, maintenance and ownership of the homes.

The project emphasizes training Indigenous women in construction trades. This will enhance local workforce capacity and the representation of women in the industry. This effort fosters economic development and boosts the local economy by improving the housing infrastructure with scalable, energy-efficient solutions.

In Phase 2, the project will refine training curricula for Indigenous women and establish a modular home construction facility focusing on designing, building and installing passive modular homes. This will lead to job creation, skill development in construction and the provision of environmentally friendly, culturally relevant and affordable homes for northern communities.

Nunavut Housing Corporation

The Nunavut Housing Corporation (NHC) aims to provide homes that support healthy and dignified living for Nunavummiut. Nunavut faces an ongoing housing crisis deepened by the limited availability of build-ready land across its 25 remote communities. A key part of solving this issue is having access to accurate and reliable land-related information to accelerate and diversify the supply of new homes.

The first phase of this project highlighted the need for improved access to such data for effective housing development.

In Stage 2, the project team will advance the development of the Land for Homes Nunavut Integrated Land Information Solution. This initiative seeks to improve the availability and use of comprehensive land-related knowledge, data, tools and resources. It is designed to assist housing partners and stakeholders in making informed decisions on land selection and supply for housing projects.

This solution supports social, economic and environmental benefits in Nunavut's communities. Expected outcomes include a broader range of housing options for Nunavummiut, with greater participation from diverse housing partners including Inuit rightsholders and non-profit groups. Goals also include better alignment of housing projects with a changing climate and community visions. Reduced costs and delays in the housing supply chain and improved decision-making processes through access to better data are also expected outcomes.

Nisga'a Lisims Government

Across Nisga'a Territory, there is a critical housing supply issue. This includes a lack of available rental units, local suppliers for goods and services and storage spaces for materials. To address this, the Nisga'a developed a mixed-use solution. This solution provides Nation staff and external consultants and contractors with implementable resources, appropriate guidelines and building prototype plans for the development of mixed-use buildings across Nisga'a Lands.

The solution has been designed to provide a baseline for affordable, energy-efficient and climate-appropriate mixed-use development. It maintains enough flexibility to respond to diverse geotechnical, environmental and end-user needs.

In Stage 2 of the project, Nisga'a will further develop the prototypes for a mixed-use building in each of the 4 Nisga'a villages.

Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in Government Housing

The Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in Government is proposing to develop a training and supply hub facility at its Assets Compound in Dawson, Yukon. Dawson's remote location at the end of Canada's highway network complicates the building material supply chain. The new training and supply hub aims to tackle 2 significant barriers.

First, existing infrastructure does not provide enough workspace for staff and lacks secure materials storage space. This means housing projects are negatively impacted by even minor disruptions to supply delivery. Project costs increase when materials are delayed or need to be ordered on short notice. Stabilizing the material supply will help ensure more consistent maintenance of existing housing stock and reduce the cost of materials. This solution involves building 2 large shops with adjacent offices and a secure storage shed so materials can be bulk ordered to stabilize local supply.

Second, to address the shortage of skilled trades and to ramp up production, the training and supply hub will provide space for trades training programs. This will help the government deliver more consistent training opportunities for citizens. It will also provide the necessary infrastructure for the potential training partner, Yukon University, to park their trades trailer at the facility. This option was not previously available to the community.

Stage 2 of the project involves constructing a new facility that includes offices, classrooms and workshop spaces. This facility will support housing maintenance and the prefabrication of building components. Additionally, in collaboration with Yukon University, it will host skilled trades training programs. Overall, the aim is to overcome challenges related to building material supply and storage, leading to better management of supply chains, stable material availability and fewer delays in housing projects.

Grand Council Treaty 3

Grand Council Treaty #3 (GCT#3) is working to establish a housing supply trade corridor that will enhance the access of Anishinaabe communities within Treaty #3 to housing materials. This initiative came about after meetings with Treaty #3 communities revealed critical housing challenges, such as high material costs, expensive transportation, insufficient storage and limited material availability.

To address these issues, GCT#3 plans to achieve cost savings through strategies like procurement, bulk purchasing and forming trade agreements with other Indigenous Nations and corporations across Turtle Island. The plan also involves constructing warehouses and distribution centers in key locations and developing a GCT#3 transportation network.

Phase 2 of this project includes building a storage and distribution facility on Treaty #3-owned land. This development aims to make building materials more affordable and accessible, aligning with the Anishinaabe Nation in Treaty #3's broader goals of economic reconciliation, inherent jurisdiction, sovereignty, Nation-building and implementing traditional governance processes.

Arctic Modular Homes (formerly CHOU Consulting and Development Inc.)

Northern developers face significant barriers to build much-needed homes. These include a shortage of local tradespeople, limited material access, high operational costs and a short construction season due to harsh climate conditions.

Arctic Modular Homes proposed a solution to overcome these barriers which involves designing and constructing prefabricated modular arctic homes in southern factories. After initial construction, the homes can be transported to northern communities. This method allows for continuous, year-round construction in controlled environments, ensuring access to competitively priced materials and skilled labour. The initiative specifically aims to produce homes that meet the unique climatic and infrastructural demands of the North. It also offers a scalable model for addressing housing shortages in other northern communities.

Phase 2 of this project will focus on advancing the modular home concept in the North through proven practices, including creating a new systems approach to housing development. A centralized modular housing assembly and training facility located in Winkler, Manitoba will be developed. Chosen for its strategic position to serve both eastern and western shipping ports and routes, the location will reduce costs and improve affordability.

Kawéchiwasik Development Corporation C/O YFFN

The Wîkiwin Training Enterprise aims to address the housing needs of York Factory First Nation by leveraging local resources and tradespeople to build homes while also fostering community growth. By integrating housing-for-all objectives with social, educational and economic goals, housing will help heal and enrich the community.

In collaboration with the University of Manitoba, the solution will include a comprehensive education model that includes a co-created curriculum, training programs, housing designs and research on building materials. Focusing on sustainable construction techniques using local stone and wood, the initiative promises to employ residents, cut production costs and enhance housing quality. Additionally, the creation of a year-round trades workshop and a dormitory for student families will boost the local labour force and offer hope to York Factory First Nation and other Indigenous youth.

As part of Stage 2 of the project, the project team will build the Wikiwin workshop. This will not only provide housing for homeless and underhoused students in a family dormitory but also facilitate their involvement in developing carbon-neutral home prototypes using local materials. This phase will also see the expansion of the educational curriculum in partnership with the University of Manitoba, ultimately increasing the labour force capacity of York Factory First Nation and creating more opportunities for its youth.

Walker Home Construction

This solution involves building an expanded pre-fabrication shop by adding an onsite storage facility with improved training modules to develop local capacity. Wall panelization, where walls are constructed offsite in controlled environments, addresses supply chain and funding challenges, improving construction speed, cost and quality.

This solution will also create efficiencies in construction timelines and costs, improve quality control through storing materials and improve safety and consistency in construction.

Indoor storage of materials, like wood, reduces damage and building on flat surfaces improves construction quality. The approach shortens onsite construction time, lowering mobilization, housing and cleanup costs. This model aligns well with current construction practices and meets government funding timelines without seasonal interruptions. Training programs will increase community capacity and optimize local housing investment benefits.

Stage 2 of this project focuses on advancing prefabricated homes in Yukon by continued testing and sharing best practices. This project will also build a storage facility, improve training for local trades, update manufacturing equipment and acquire transportation for prefabricated panels. These initiatives aim to reduce construction costs and increase local delivery capacity to deliver.

Vuntut Gwitchin Government

Vuntut Gwitchin is Yukon's only fly-in community. Its remoteness creates a bottleneck in the supply chain to the Arctic community of Old Crow, Yukon Territory. A winter road is the only overland link to the rest of the territory's highway network. This leads to a "boom and bust" cycle in housing construction in Old Crow, with building only feasible in years when the winter road is operational. The short building season also means that even in boom years, the community can't keep up with the demand for housing.

The proposed solution involves building a warehouse in Old Crow to store multiple years' worth of materials. This will ensure a steady supply, allowing for annual home construction regardless of winter road conditions. It will also offer local job opportunities through training in storage, monitoring and inventory management, which will help address the supply challenges caused by the intermittent winter road.

As part of Stage 2, the project team will establish the Vuntut Gwitchin Housing Warehouse and Assembly Shop in Old Crow. This facility will store modular building materials for year-round housing assembly and maintenance. This approach aims to mitigate the challenges of material access in remote areas, ensuring a consistent and predictable housing production and maintenance solution.

Rampart Rentals Ltd.

This solution proposes warehouse-to-warehouse shipping and logistics by owning and operating 2 warehouses. One warehouse is in the Gateway to the North in Edmonton, AB and the other is in Norman Wells, N.W.T. This approach facilitates the bulk purchasing, shipping and receiving of housing materials and supplies. This will offer communities year-round access to building supplies at a reduced cost. Northern communities are often limited to a 3 or 4-month window for material transport through winters and barges. By centralizing purchases and enabling direct shipments to these warehouses, costs for transporting materials to the Sahtu Region are significantly reduced.

In Stage 2, the project will enhance this shipping and logistics model between Edmonton and Norman Wells. This will allow bulk purchasing, shipping and receiving of housing materials and supplies at a reduced cost year-round. Additionally, it will focus on developing programs for warehouse training and employment in the Sahtu Region in collaboration with local partners.

SIP Atlantic Inc.

Manufacturing structural insulated panels (SIPs) in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador offers a way to consistently build houses faster and more affordably than traditional methods. SIPs are prefabricated panels that can be assembled on site in half the time required by traditional construction methods. This technology has already proven successful in large-scale northern housing projects in Nunavut and Alaska.

SIP construction training in the community, in collaboration with local partners, will create a skilled workforce, resulting in long-term economic benefits. The manufacturing site, located near coastal transport, enables quick shipping of panel packages as soon as the season allows. Road access allows for year-round raw material delivery, ensuring continuous production.

Collaborating with the National Research Council and the Canadian Construction Materials Centre will optimize building techniques, materials and technology. This partnership aims to enhance construction quality, producing homes that are healthy, energy-efficient, durable and comfortable.

Stage 2 includes establishing an equipped manufacturing facility and additional training for community members through local partnerships. This will ensure more timely manufacturing and construction of SIP homes and long-term local economic benefits.

Sakku Properties Limited

Sakku Properties Limited (SPL) is building the first Inuit owned and operated modular housing factory and training centre in Arviat, Nunavut. The facility will be operated through Sakku Innovative Building Solutions, a partnership between Sakku and RG Solutions, a leading modular housing supplier based in Québec.

This solution aims to address many barriers to improving housing supply, including the short building season, no roads for material shipments, lack of local skilled trades and high costs. The proposed solution is a modular factory in Arviat that will allow locals to build modular housing units that will be sold in Nunavut’s Kivalliq Region.

The factory will produce high-quality housing specifically designed for Arctic conditions and culture. In addition, the team will develop a red seal trades training program to create Inuit building capacity in Arviat and the Kivalliq Region. This will reduce the dependency on southern workers. It will also help to reinforce Nunavut’s economy by keeping most of the investment in housing within Nunavut.

As part of stage 2, the team will advance the development and construction of the modular construction factory and training centre. This will result in 40 full-time jobs and more than 120 indirect jobs in the Kivalliq region. Fifteen new red seal tradespeople per year are projected to graduate from the training centre. Year-round modular building will result in 35 to 40 new housing units per year.

Université de Laval

A significant barrier to creating culturally appropriate, sustainable and socially acceptable housing in Nunavik is the lack of involvement of Inuit communities. For housing solutions to meet their needs, Inuit communities need to play a central role in “thinking” and “building” their own homes.

This solution – a “blueprint” towards autonomy and cultural sustainability – consists of scenarios (or operating models) that genuinely account for Inuit’ seasons, practices, wisdom, resources, aspirations and expertise. The blueprint aims at making Inuit communities and organizations the most important link in the housing supply chain. This approach ensures that the initiative truly originates from, and is primarily destined for, Nunavik. The blueprint will consist of a synthesis between 3 interdependent “chantiers”, each tackling essential themes:

1. “Building autonomy” is about governance and collaboration, mobilizing Inuit traditional knowledge, ingenuity and inclusive decision-making.
2. “Building capacity” is about training and “hands-on” mentorship – especially for Inuit youth – drawing on skills that will help meet contemporary challenges and support innovations.
3. “Building homes” is about having choice within a variety of housing types and tenure patterns and designing with territory-appropriate and sustainable construction systems, techniques, and materials.

As part of Stage 2, this project will further develop and test these 3 “chantiers” as the main step towards the implementation phases of our Home as Territory blueprint.