Northern Ontario First Nations create DIY housing kits to tackle housing crisis

In northern Ontario, First Nations communities have watched modular homes arrive, only to deteriorate and be condemned within two decades.

Frustrated with temporary solutions, three First Nations in the Chapleau area launched a non-profit initiative in 2019 to build homes using do-it-yourself building kits.

The One Bowl Housing Corporation was named after the Dish with One Spoon wampum, a symbol of shared resources and collective responsibility, according to business development manager Candace Larsen.

"If we're all eating from one bowl, and if we're all using one spoon and only taking what we need at the end, we'd be ensuring the sustainability and the equitability of everything else around us," said Larsen.

Thermal log technology

One Bowl's approach is built on what Larsen refers to as a "tree-to-home supply chain." 

These kits include doors, windows, a prefabricated frame, and thermal logs — a material designed specifically for cold climates. The logs consist of white pine on the exterior and interior, with expanded polystyrene insulation in the middle.

Those logs are currently made from white pine harvested in Québec, but One Bowl hopes to soon be producing that material in northern Ontario. 

"You stack [the thermal logs] like you would Legos, and at the end of the day, you then have a high quality, culturally and climatically appropriate shell for your home," Larsen said.

When assembled, the result looks like a traditional log cabin, but with improved thermal efficiency that can reduce heating costs during the region's harsh winters.

Cost effective and self-sufficient

One Bowl's homes cost an average of $350 per square foot for full turnkey construction, with shell costs between $100 to $130 per square foot. In comparison, conventional housing in remote Ontario regions typically costs around $650 per square foot.

So far, One Bowl has helped build 22 homes in Ontario — about 20 in the Chapleau area and two off-reserve. Most of the homes are duplexes. 

One Bowl also recently shipped 15 kits to the James Bay Coast, where Larsen said training is now underway in Kashechewan First Nation, to teach community members how to construct the homes themselves, without relying on outside contractors.

"That 15-day training program really is that key piece that will ensure that local capacity has the self-sufficiency to build their homes long term and increase the amount of homes that they're building as well," she explained.

By the end of 2025, the company expects to have trained over 50 individuals and invested more than $500,000 into First Nations communities across the province, according to Larsen.