Prefabricated and modular buildings

[lenaitch]

I agree. The underlying services are also key - hydro, water, sewage - and often a challenge in the remote settlements. Even the settlements with road access as conditions can be challenging.

Constructions seems to be modular, but winter road access is a must, unless you have access to a Buffalo or a Hercules…..

On the other hand, and I have been in an out of settlements in remoter parts of Northern Canada for more then a few years, there is not one reason why this country cannot solve housing problems in the north. Not one. And it is pathetic that people like Doug Ford can drivel on about tunnels under the 401 and still across Ontario, we deal with ongoing housing and water issues in many remoter settlements.

In relation to FN Territories I agree that there is not one problem - there are many. With the federal government essentially being the landlord and supplier of housing, it gets caught up in funding, suppliers (the lowest bidder kind) and training. While modular housing reduces the need for on-site trades, it doesn't eliminate them. Paying outside trades is expensive and getting locals trained up has often been difficult. Maybe a FN-led company would have better luck getting FN people to train up. Even after a building is occupied, who fixes the furnace?

Winter shipping is always going to be a problem. Flat building materials transport reasonably well and I guess modular components could be braced up to survive the journey. The big problem is what happens once they get on site. Flat materials sit in a warehouse awaiting spring where temperature and humidity changes start wrecking them. Modular units would face the same fate. They need to have foundations and infrastructure ready in the fall to have a house plunked on them as soon as it gets there. That requires a level of coordination that I'm not sure widely exists.

The big advantage of modular construction is code can be met in the factory. There are no enforceable building standards on FNT. When I was up there, many moons ago, I saw occupied buildings that I'm not sure I would store my tractor in. Cheap windows, poor insulation, unfinished exterior cladding. Even if somebody tried to enforce code, they would probably just run them off the reserve since they are so desperate for housing. It's not just a matter of code for code's sake, it's energy efficiency and humidity control. Proper living conditions would help reduce the prevalence of TB and other respiratory diseases in these communities.