This mass timber build will be located on a reclaimed site at the Tyendinaga Mohawk Airfield. It will be built through integrated project delivery (IPD) and will be the first of its kind in Canada.
The First Nations Technical Institute is the only Indigenous accredited college in the country. Their mission is to share unique educational experiences, rooted in Indigenous knowledge, thereby enhancing the strength of learners and communities. This project will revolve heavily around our alignment and commitment to the shared goals of ska’nikonhra (one mind) and Tentewarennia’te tsi naho:ten ionkwaterientare (knowledge transfer).
The new facilities (an administration and academic building) will be a bold, state-of-the-art, net zero structure that represents long-term stewardship of land and natural resources. And, commitment to the mitigation of global climate change. As part of our goal to strengthen Indigenous relations and our ties to social procurement, we will have 80 per cent Indigenous participation on this project.
The construction of the new academic and administrative facility for the First Nations Technical Institute, represents Chandos’ dedication to set the bar for how to effectively go about Indigenous economic reconciliation.
From day one we helped organize and facilitate a series of sessions that informed, aligned, and inspired the strongest possible commitment from the team’s partners, regarding specific and measurable economic, social impact, and Indigenous resource goals. We also worked to engage the local community by hosting an open house to present the project.
FNTI held meetings with band members to strategize and find opportunities to connect the IPD team to local projects underway which may have resource and service leads.
Chandos is prioritizing the selection of local Indigenous partners so that they have a say and can influence the selection of any other key trade(s)or partner(s) we may need to procure from outside the local community to work on the project. The trade partners have to make commitments for what percentage of Indigenous workers they will have assigned to work on FNTI.
FNTI’s continued popularity amongst First Nations youth have rendered it one of the most successful post-secondary Indigenous institutions in Canada. With the new academic and administration building, FNTI will grow capacity, enhance its student experience, and advance a First Nations-specific research in areas such as agri-food production and indigenous food sovereignty, nomadic studies, mental health and social work, community development, justice court, environmental sustainability and social entrepreneurship.
What's more, FNTI will offer a beacon of change amidst global efforts to address the current climate crisis. The new building will fuse centuries-old Indigenous knowledge and practices in regeneration, restoration, and resilience with advanced building design and technology. In so doing, it will achieve a bold, net zero – zero emission and zero carbon - holistic response to safeguarding wellness for people, place and planet.