Thunder Bay, Ont., company receives $1M to support modular home construction (original) (raw)
Anthony and John McCrae say their goal is to make housing more accessible in northern Ontario, one modular unit at a time. The brothers are co-owners of ModBox Modular, a Thunder Bay company that primarily builds modular homes for the region’s remote First Nations. Here's what a recent funding boost from the province means for company plans for expansion.
ModBox Modular building units for First Nations, city's temporary shelter village
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Brothers Anthony and John McCrae, left to right, co-own ModBox Modular in Thunder Bay, Ont. The company primarily builds homes for the region's remote First Nations. (Sarah Law/CBC)
Anthony and John McCrae say their goal is to make housing more accessible in northern Ontario, one modular unit at a time.
The brothers are co-owners of ModBox Modular, a Thunder Bay company that primarily builds modular homes for the region’s remote First Nations.
The units are almost completely put together at the Thunder Bay facility before they’re transported up north by seasonal winter ice road, making it much cheaper and faster to get homes to communities in need.
“We can deliver an 80 to 90 per cent finished building on the winter road and have it finished by the end of the year,” Anthony said.
“Also, building in a facility that is climate controlled allows us to work different hours. Our materials are all situated and climatized, we're not fighting rain and snow.”
On Thursday, the business received a $1 million boost through the province’s Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) to help it expand.
Timmins MPP George Pirie, the province's minister of northern economic development and growth, is seen at the podium as the Ontario government announces $1 million for ModBox Modular in Thunder Bay. (Sarah Law/CBC)
“Using NOHFC funding, the company can purchase a new industrial building, make renovations and acquire new equipment. The project will increase the company’s manufacturing capacity and introduce new innovative product offerings such as modular wood homes,” the province’s news release says.
Already, the company has been able to move from a 4,000-square-foot facility to a new 25,000-square foot shop thanks to the funding, making space for “different machinery like overhead cranes, new roof exterior as well as heating systems and overhead doors,” Anthony said.
The expansion also means it’s able to create 20 new positions.
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“Keeping jobs here in the north — we're supporting families here, people,” John said.
The funding was announced by Thunder Bay—Atikokan MPP Kevin Holland and Timmins MPP George Pirie, who serves as provincial minister of northern economic development and growth.
“Everybody needs a start, everybody needs a chance, and you don't have a chance if you don't have a roof over your head,” Pirie said. “It’s an innovative solution, using Canadian products and providing and serving a need that's really needed — from the coast of Lake Superior to the coast of James Bay.”
Projects in process
The company has worked with several of the region’s First Nations, including Pikangikum, Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, North Spirit Lake, Moose Cree, Deer Lake and Kashechewan, John said.
It expects to complete six new builds for Kashechewan in the next few weeks.
John McCrae says a one-bedroom modular home for a First Nation takes an average of between six and eight weeks to complete. (Sarah Law/CBC)
The seasonal ice roads many of these communities rely on are only available for a few weeks of the year, which means time is of the essence to drive as many homes up to them as possible, the McCrae brothers explained.
ModBox Modular is also behind the construction of Thunder Bay’s long-awaited temporary shelter village for unhoused people, to be located at the end of Alloy Drive.
The village will consist of 80 sleeping cabins as well as shared common buildings with laundry, washroom and dining amenities.
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“These are the kinds of projects that build momentum in our local economy and create housing opportunities for people across the region. This support will help the company expand production, modernize its facilities and increase its ability to deliver innovative housing solutions where they are needed most,” Holland said in Thursday’s news release.
“It will also create good skilled trade jobs that will strengthen our local manufacturing sector.”
The company hopes to complete the first 20 sleeping cabins and the common area buildings by the end of June, with the rest delivered through July and August, Anthony said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Law is a CBC News reporter based in Thunder Bay, Ont., and has also worked for newspapers and online publications elsewhere in the province. Have a story tip? You can reach her at sarah.law@cbc.ca.