Millennium project focuses on unique housing

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A program slated to begin in April involves the three treaty areas in the province and the Northern Aboriginal Institute of Technology (NAIT).

The millennium project started after a meeting with the First Nations Technical Services Advisory group, which is made up of representatives from Treaties 6, 7 and 8. The group provides advisory services to chiefs and to the communities in the area of construction and infrastructure.

"We were in a meeting with the group to deliver some training. I brought one of our people from NAIT to talk about some of the curriculum of the training program. On the way back he mentioned that he did not realize the extent of housing shortages in First Nations communities," said Steve Crocker of NAIT. "He thought maybe NAIT could do something about this, since we have an architectural department and we provide trades training, to help design and work on this important housing issue. So I began to develop a paper and met with First Nations Technical many times and then presented a proposal to NAIT's millennium committee," he said.

The project will be completed in four stages, the first of which is to work with the First Nations Technical Services Advisory group to design a house that meets First Nations' needs. The second stage will see NAIT provide training on how to build the house.

"One of the other partners in the millennium project is a company based out of Calgary. They make these wall panels out of polyurethane, which has drywall on one side, and the sheeting on the other. These wall panels are extremely energy efficient, as well as the time it takes to build the house. To close the outer structure will take approximately nine days and that includes the foundation," said Crocker. "One of the advantages of this project is that the house goes up very quickly. Our training program that we are going to be providing here at NAIT involves how to put together these wall panels, and then close the house, and then how to finish off the interior of the house, from the flooring, installing cabinets, to the roofing, etc.," he said.

The training program will run from April to June. In the third stage, the trainees will go back to their home communities and build these units. The fourth stage begins when NAIT sets up studies on the houses to analyze utility, heating and maintenance costs over a period of time, to see what the savings are versus a conventional house.

"At the end of a three-year period we will have some very good data with the First Nations Technical Services Advisory Group on what the savings are over a period of time in terms of construction costs, as well as maintenance and utilities," said Crocker.

"The Calgary-based company has just recently won an award last year in Alaska for the most energy efficient and economical house. The house really works well for cold climates. What we were looking for is to have one of these homes built in northern Alberta, one in central Alberta and one in southern Alberta. We can also do some comparisons on utilities savings from different environments," he said.

Human Resources Development Canada will be funding the training program. There won't be a cost to the First Nation that participates as in sending down crews to be trained. The program is looking for 16 people, four people from each community.

"Another partner in the housing project is Amisk housing. While the students are here taking the training, the first house they will build will be for Amisk housing. Amisk housing is an Edmonton-based organization that provides housing for First Nations people that live here in Edmonton," said Crocker.