Just south of Fort McMurray you will find Fort McMurray 468 First Nation. A Treaty 8 Nation, the traditional land Nistawayaw – “Where Three Rivers Meet” – is a uniquely beautiful part of the world, nestled in nature, on the shores of Gregoire Lake near the hamlet of Anzac, Alberta.
Pleasant Homes has had the privilege of working with this Nation for many years, and in 2020, we had an opportunity to collaborate on the building and delivery of 19 new homes into their community. We are proud of this project and grateful that it went on to be recognized by the Modular Housing Association, Prairie Provinces, for their Community Development Award; but we are even more proud of our partnership with this Nation.
Collaborating on this project and others, with mutual respect for one another, has enabled us to support local jobs. Fort McMurray 468 First Nation employs all their own local well-trained contractors and tradespeople to complete the site preparation, hook up the services and build their own steps and decks.
The Nation has strong spiritual connections to the land, so it is really critical that we are able to save as many trees as possible and preserve the integrity of the land during the demolition and siting of the new homes. Extensive protocols are put in place to ensure we minimize disruption to the woodlands.
Communication and coordination during the whole process is imperative – in this instance, 19 families were displaced from their existing homes as we coordinated the demolition and siting of the new homes. We worked quickly and vigilantly with the Nation, respecting everyone’s need to know what was happening and when.
Pleasant Homes is really proud to have received the award from the Modular Housing Association on this project, but even more thrilled to have been a part of the project delivering these homes to some amazing families. We hope they are loved for a lifetime! Thank-you to Fort McMurray 468 First Nation for trusting us to partner with you on this community development.
“Our Nation has been purchasing from Pleasant Homes for the past few years. Our purchasing ranges from 3-4 units per year with as many as 20 homes in one year, regardless of the size of the order, Pleasant Homes has always enthusiastically provided us with great service. The homes arrived in a timely manner and the onsite work has been done quickly and efficiently. If there were any issues, they were quick to provide the service necessary to correct the matter.
I would recommend purchasing from Pleasant Homes, Gary provided fair, competitive pricing and Simon being boots on the ground kept the communication open and transparent. The homes are beautiful and functional and can be customized to meet any budget. A huge thank you to the service you provided to our Nation, we would definitely consider using Pleasant Homes for any additional purchasing in the future.
– Cindy Miller, Fort McMurray 468 First Nation [2020]