Community Successes

The First Nations Home EnergySave Program is always pleased to showcase community stories. Here’s a look at how some First Nations in remote areas of BC are tackling energy challenges in housing.

The Doig River First Nation’s Dane che’ adliih dę’ kwąil (People’s Prayer House) project, completed in 2021, demonstrates that Passive House certified buildings can be successful in a Northern BC climate.

In this story, members of the project team offer their reflections on how the community building came to be, how community members were involved, and how the building and its uses are evolving over time. They also share some lessons learned and advice for other communities that may be considering a similar project. Take a look!

Nak’azdli Whut’en First Nation brought together local workers to form a construction crew. The goal was to reduce reliance on outside contractors, improve construction quality, and take direct responsibility for on-reserve building projects. Originally developed as an initiative under the Band administration to build new housing and renovate public buildings, Nak’azdli Construction Ltd. is now a company owned by Nak’azdli Development Corporation.

Nak’azdli Construction Ltd. buildings are designed to be long lasting, to reach high energy efficiency and building standards, and to withstand extreme weather and climate change. With a growing team, the company offers full building and renovation services to the Nak’azdli Whut’en community.

Over the past 20 years, Skeetchestn community members have worked to develop Skeetchestn Dodeca-Homes, a business that sells kit homes based on a traditional Secwepemc pit house design. The homes are energy efficient, robust, durable and quick to assemble. The business is 100% Skeetchestn-owned, and the hope is that these homes will provide much-needed housing on First Nations reserves across Canada.

The Uchucklesaht Tribe Government has worked on several interrelated projects to increase energy efficiency and housing quality in its communities, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The projects include new housing developments in Ehthlateese, planning for a hydropower project to replace diesel electricity generation, and development of a Community Energy and Emissions Plan (CEEP).

Here is a look at the experiences in three BC First Nations communities — Musqueam, Laxgalts’ap Village and Tsawwassen — to develop and implement Energy Efficiency Policies. Learn about the approaches each community is taking to create efficiency, lower utility costs and improve the health and safety of people’s homes and other amenities.

Ask an Energy Specialist is a project that connects energy specialists with First Nations communities in the early stages of planning or implementing energy efficiency housing projects. Here’s a recap of the work.

Nuxalk Nation is building a community workforce of carpenters, plumbers, electricians and other trade workers to meet its housing needs — and has wanted to make skills training available close to home.

Working with Richard Hall, a housing consultant and member of Nuxalk Nation, FBC supported this work by organizing BCIT’s Zero Energy Building Training at Nuxalk Nation in the Fall of 2021. Twelve carpentry students in the community attended the training, through in-person and virtual sessions, and gained a grounding in zero energy building practices.

This success story explores the Residential Energy Efficiency Works (REnEW) Program that rolled out at Westbank First Nation in 2020-2021.

The REnEW program aimed to educate and train youth participants in the field of energy-efficient retrofitting and construction. The participants, many of whom had previously faced barriers to employment, worked together on an energy-efficient demonstration building project in the community and also gained construction site experience. The “hands-on” approach created a focused learning environment and exposed them to a range of residential building practices.

For program participants, this was just the start of the journey — as many went on to full-time or part-time employment in construction and two took up FortisBC scholarships to gain more education in the field. This REnEW project reflects a strong a partnership between FortisBC, the Okanagan Training & Development Council (OTDC) and Westbank First Nation, the program host.

There is a strong commitment to community engagement at xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam). For Musqueam’s Housing and Energy team, this means thinking creatively about managing housing more effectively. From undertaking renovations and new construction to maintaining homes and implementing housing policies, community engagement is at the heart of everything Musqueam does.

Check out the lessons learned at two innovative Musqueam housing events — “E = MC2” and “Game of Homes” — hosted by the team in 2021 for community members who wanted to better understand how to reduce home energy and heating costs.