A Hay River-based company says it’s working to provide homes designed for the North after being asked to supply more than 30 homes by Housing NWT.
Metcan Building Solutions has orders from the territory’s housing agency for 14 modular duplexes, amounting to 28 units, and five modular single-family residences.
Of the 33 units, 14 will replace old inventory and 19 will be entirely new stock.
Communities receiving the homes include Paulatuk, Fort McPherson, Tulita, Wrigley, Fort Simpson, Fort Providence, Dettah, Ndılǫ, Kátł’odeeche First Nation, Fort Smith and Fort Resolution.
Housing NWT said the homes built in Hay River “will increase the number of public housing units in a community while diversifying the type of housing available to enable more seniors to age in place, and provide units suited to singles.”
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Metcan’s vice-president of design, Caelin Cameron, said the company was “designing and constructing in the North, for the North,” with energy efficiency and the harsh northern climate in mind.
“Our specifications are more rigorous and the materials we use more robust than what you’re finding coming out of modular or ready-to-move homes coming out of southern locations,” Cameron said.
“You get into talking about the extreme differences in our values. Boiler systems versus furnaces, metal exterior siding, metal roofing for fire protection, using rockwool insulation versus batt insulation.
“We use efficiency heating systems – whether it be furnace or boiler, we have superior envelope systems which drastically decrease the heating requirements.”
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The facility in Hay River has no ready-made inventory but instead builds to order.
“There’s a desire for top quality, low price, and quick timeline. Unfortunately, one of the things I regularly have to share with clients is you can’t have all three,” Cameron said.
“Because of the current environment and situation in the North, time is of the essence … there is a big cost required to go forward and quickly build quality homes.”
Finance and infrastructure minister Caroline Wawzonek, touring Metcan’s Hay River facility earlier this month, said she was “impressed by the great work happening there.”
Metcan launched in 2021 as a partnership between Arcan Construction and the Hay River Métis Government Council.
“We’ve done several hundred residences and have learned and taken a lot of lessons and learning out of that,” said Cameron of Arcan’s broader experience.
“Now we have a system that we feel is the best result for northern housing.
“It’s important to invest in quality homes because if we’re building homes that are of poor quality, they’re not going to last and we’re not going to be part of fixing the problem.”
