Three Nunavut Arctic College student residence duplexes in Rankin Inlet are under construction by students at the Sanatuliqsarvik Nunavut Trades Training Centre.

The duplexes are the result of an agreement signed in May 2024 between Nunavut Arctic College, the Nunavut Housing Corp. and Pewapun Construction Ltd.

Currently, the Sanatuliqsarvik Nunavut Trades Training Centre offers Level 1 and 2 training in five construction trades. This past March, Margaret Nakashuk, minister responsible for Nunavut Arctic College, stated that the college is also requesting financial support to offer Level 3 and Level 4 training at Sanatuliqsarvik, allowing students to complete their apprenticeship training in Rankin Inlet.

Nakashuk said with this partnership project, hands-on building opportunities like the student residence project allow Sanatuliqsarvik students to gain real life work experience while collecting hours of learning with red seal instructor support, which supports the students on their apprenticeship journey.

Marlene Gogal, project co-ordinator for Pewapun Construction Ltd., said what Pewapun brought to the table was a reputable model that's been working with the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (NCN) in Nelson House, Man., for a long time.

She said that's what really prompted Pewapun to compete in the Housing Supply Challenge, which is where the award came from that allowed the company to be part of this project in collaboration with Nunavut Arctic College and the Nunavut Housing Corp.

鈥淚 think the opportunity given to us was to be able to broaden our level of experience with building outside of our nation as a construction company,鈥� said Gogal.

鈥淎nd then, for our apprentices out there, it gave them an opportunity to hone their skills in a different environment and develop the leadership skills that have really been important to us as our apprentices advance along their career path.鈥�

Kalum Wrightson was one of five apprentices to take part in the Rankin Inlet construction. Wrightson was originally a student within the Atoskiwin Training and Employment Centre (ATEC) of Excellence and then moved to Pewapun, which is the construction arm of this partnership, in order to get hands-on experience and hours towards his apprenticeship.

'A different building technique'

ATEC is NCN's 41,140-square-foot, collaborative institution, which combines both the Trades Training Centre and ATEC. The focus of ATEC is to develop a wide range of post-secondary and trades-training opportunities to address the skills needed for the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation and other First Nations in Canada.

Wrightson, a 26-year-old carpenter who's working towards journeyman status, said he agreed with everything Gogal pointed out.

鈥淚 was in Rankin Inlet for eight weeks from August to October,鈥� he said.

Gogal said the construction project will be carried forward to completion by Nunavut Arctic College and the Nunavut Housing Corp.

She said Pewapun's role was to mentor in the construction of structurally-insulated panel homes.

鈥淚t's a different building technique that we use in the (Nisichawayasihk) nation and Kalum, along with his team, are very experienced in these builds,鈥� said Gogal. 鈥淪o that was the intent of them being in Rankin Inlet, to kind of help guide that construction process and be part of it there.

Wrightson said his time in Rankin was marked by some rather weird weather patterns. He said they were first met with unusual warmth, while the next month brought rain almost every day.

鈥淭hose types of conditions expand and shrink the type of lumber that we were using, so it was a bit of a challenge getting around that,鈥� said Wrightson. 鈥淲e managed to push through it though.

鈥淚t was new for me using those jack stands they were sitting on. I've never done that before for a house. I've done it for sheds, but never for a whole house. It was mainly a case of gaining more experience for me in a new environment.

鈥淚'd recommend the experience to others. It's very nice in Rankin and the locals were very welcoming. I told all the guys in my crew how nice it was there, so they'd all go up now if the opportunity presented itself. I was the Guinea pig, I guess.

鈥淚t benefitted me in my trade as a carpenter. I think I'm a better carpenter now. I've never worked in so much rain before.鈥�

'Strong role models'

Gogal said the Rankin Inlet experience allowed the students to become more adaptive in a different environment.

鈥淭here was an expectation on these guys, to some degree, in that being a mentor 鈥� even if they weren't mentoring them on a one-to-one basis 鈥� meant they had to be a good representative of the nation and of their trade,鈥� said Gogal.

鈥淭hey had students watching and that was important. It was also important to us that our crew went up and represented our nation proudly and in a skilled way. This is another generation of trades people coming up behind with new students.

鈥淪o that was really important to us, that our guys were in the same place that the Rankin trade school students were, starting out in education and then on to the job with really strong role models to look up to.鈥�

Wrightson said he sees Sanatuliqsarvik's hopes to offer Level 3 and Level 4 training to allow students to complete their apprenticeship training in Rankin Inlet as a solid move, especially considering that the school attracts students from around the region.

鈥淭here's a lot of other students attending the trade school from the surrounding communities up there,鈥� said Wrightson. 鈥淚t would benefit a lot of people.鈥�

For more stories on the construction industry in the North, click here.