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1 / 2 Left to right: Elders representative Margaret Rossetti, youth rep. Logan Bayes, NCL Manager Jess Kilpatrick, Project Director, Keller Construction Ltd. Justin Estby, Planner, David Nairne & Associates (DNA) Kathyrn Nairne, BC Housing Ikenna Aberdeen, Nak’azdli Whut’en Chief Aileen Prince and Capital Manager Rhoda Gregg. Taylor Hansen/ Caledonia Courier
Nak’azdli Whut’en held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new housing development at the Mountainview Subdivision in Fort St. James on July 31.
This project, which will add 32 new homes, is set to provide much-needed residences for elders, youths, families, and individuals with disabilities within the community.
The initiative, a result of three years of planning and preparation, addresses the housing crisis identified in a 2017 Needs Assessment. The assessment highlighted a requirement for 176 housing units to meet the community’s needs over the next decade.
The project is funded through the provincial Community Housing Fund, which was announced in July 2021. Construction is slated to commence in September 2024 and is expected to be completed by November 2025.
The new development will include 12 three-bedroom family townhomes, 10 one-bedroom youth apartments, and the remainder dedicated to elders’ apartments.
This effort has been a collaborative achievement involving Nak’azdli Band Council, Nak’azdli Construction LP, BC Housing, David Nairne & Associates Ltd., and Keller Construction Ltd.
“We are really looking forward to getting this project underway,” Nak’azdli Whut’en’s Chief Aileen Prince said at the groundbreaking ceremony
Prince also extended gratitude to Nak’azdli Whut’en’s Capital Manager Rhoda Gregg, her team, and all contributors who worked on advancing the project.
