Habitat for Humanity to undertake first on-reserve project

The construction of a 10-bed seniors lodge will begin towards the end of May on the Flying Dust First Nation. The lodge, to be located near Meadow Lake, is a joint venture between the First Nation and Habitat for Humanity. This marks the first time that the national organization has made a commitment to an on-reserve development project. “I think this came about because we were tired of having to tell people that we didn’t have the money to build this project. We had to come up with a solution to this,” said former Chief Robert Merasty, who was instrumental in setting up the partnership. The initial budget for the project is set at around $1.4 million, but Merasty expects that that figure will drop as Habitat for Humanity secures better supply contracts. Volunteers from Toronto, New Brunswick, and the United States are slated to travel to Flying Dust First Nation to help with the construction. It is hoped that the facility will be ready for residents by mid-winter of 2016.