This Hay River, N.W.T., company is building modular homes for northerners

A Hay River, N.W.T., company is working to change the face of housing across the territory. 

METCAN Building Solutions, a collaboration between the Hay River Métis Nation and ARCAN Construction, has been building modular homes in Hay River since 2021.

Niki Elliott is the general manager of METCAN. She said the build details they developed came from a collaboration with the N.W.T. Housing Corporation.

"The spec that we function on comes from their mandate to be energy efficient," she said. "To try to take some of that burden of the cost of living comfortably within a home in the North."

The N.W.T. Housing Corporation is METCAN's primary client at the moment.

A spokesperson for the housing corp. says that purchasing homes manufactured locally offers an opportunity to create more jobs in the community and foster economic development.

Elliott said METCAN's homes are meant to last decades in some of Canada's harshest climates. The homes have high-efficiency boilers, triple-pane windows, and fire-resistant materials such as rock wool insulation. 

Unlike conventional modular homes, METCAN's builds are constructed to a "stick-built" standard, ensuring they last up to 40 years.

"When people think modular, they think trailer park," she said. "What we provide happens to be modular in the fact that they can go on a truck and be delivered to the community. It's not the same standard of build."

A partnership rooted in community

Elliot is also proud of METCAN's partnership with the Hay River Métis Nation. The collaboration, formed between Métis Nation government council president Trevor Beck and ARCAN Group president Aaron Doyle, focuses on creating opportunities for Métis members while addressing housing shortages in the North.

The partnership ensures 51-per-cent Métis ownership, making METCAN an Indigenous-owned company. METCAN also provides employment opportunities and apprenticeship training for the membership as part of its mission.

"We have, I believe, four local apprenticeships. Two are Dene, and two are Métis," Elliot said. 

She said they have also explored ways to engage younger generations, like partnering with schools to create early apprenticeship opportunities for students interested in trades.  

Meeting the demand for northern housing

For now, METCAN is focused on its contracts with the N.W.T. Housing Corporation. It has completed replacement homes for flood victims in Jean Marie River, Fort Simpson, and Fort Good Hope and seniors' units destroyed by the 2023 wildfire on the Kátł'odeeche First Nation (KFN).

Elliot said they also try to hire local whenever possible. 

"For KFN, we hired a local contractor to come in and do two of the homes' exterior setups, stairs, decks, landings," she said. "If there are the resources in their community to utilize, then we will."

Eventually, Elliott said they hope to expand operations from government contracts to building homes for individuals and families across the North. Due to the high demand of the current housing crisis and the housing corp's needs, they are not there yet.

"I would love to see us work ourselves out of the work, where we meet the demand, we meet the crisis," she said. "That's me dreaming really big about the possibilities."

Addressing housing quality issues that have plagued some projects in the North is also part of that plan. By focusing on long-lasting materials and community collaboration, the company hopes to become a leader in northern housing.