First Nation builds from within: Fort William First Nation goes local to construct the first phase of a new subdivision.

• Author: Ross, Ian
• Position: Design-Build

As a professional homebuilder, Kateri Skaarup always feels an internal drive to deliver the best house possible for the client.

When Skaarup Construction was chosen to participate with seven other contractors to build a new $1.5-million subdivision in her home community of Fort William First Nation, there was extra incentive to do her best work.

"Every community member is related to, or is friends with, the families that are inheriting a house," said Skaarup, the firm's co-owner and chief operations officer. "They know your name is on it."

In what might be the biggest construction project the 2,200-member First Nation has ever taken on, eight contractors were assigned eight units of the proposed 21-unit subdivision.

The subdivision project, which broke ground last May, is a unique bull-by-the-horns approach by Fort William First Nation, located across the Kaministiquia River from Thunder Bay.

Instead of putting the project out to tender and selecting one contractor to get the whole build, Skaarup said a group of local contractors were summoned to the community centre for a meeting in the fall of 2015.

The idea behind this collaborative community effort was to get the contractors to work together and build local skills capacity by hiring as many community members as possible.

"When you're a small community, you want to keep the money in the community and have your members feel stronger and feel like they're a part of it," said Skaarup, "build a sense of pride, a sense of ownership."

Two different bungalow home plans of 1,100 and 1,280 square feet were supplied by North American Lumber.

In a November interview, Skaarup said the homes were largely complete with only the finishing touches to do. Infrastructure servicing for the subdivision was ongoing with the goal to move families in to celebrate Christmas.

"They're very nice houses," said Skaarup. "They could be in any other subdivision. They're done very well."

The other contractors that participated were: Dan Bannon Contracting, MA Wells Contracting, Chris MacLaurin Contracting, Craig Hardy Contracting, Vanessa Fournier Contracting, Robert Morriseau Contracting and Bob Shields.

From the start, Skaarup noticed there was a competition underway among the contractors to get their frames done first, but the project gradually evolved into a "total team effort" with the contractors willingly sharing their equipment.

The process reminded her of the local Strong Man competitions she organizes.

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