Ground will be broken this morning on a project to address North Bay’s homeless crisis

NORTH BAY— Praztek Construction will scoop a ceremonial first shovel full of earth April 13, 2021, at 981 Cassells Street; the future site of Suswin Village, a 30-unit transitional housing project initiated by the North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre.

“We’re so pleased to see months of planning starting to become a reality,” said NBIFC president Katherine Sarazin. “This building is intended to provide comfort and hope for Indigenous people trying to cope with being homeless in North Bay.”

Kathy Fortin, the Centre’s Executive Director, said Suswin — “nest” in the Ojibwe language — will provide wrap-around cultural and life skill supports to the residents when it opens its doors an estimated year from now. “Indigenous people represent almost half of the city’s homeless count, and our board felt strongly that we should play a role in addressing this issue.”

She noted the Timmins contractor, which has built such projects as the Timmins Native Friendship Centre Affordable Housing project and the 70-unit LG Residential Conversion project in Timmins, was selected from five bidding finalists based on their proposal’s local and Indigenous content, as well as projected price. Larocque Elder Architects, Architectes Inc. designed the three-storey, 18,000-square-foot structure, and will be supervising the construction site at the corner of Cassells and Fifth Avenue, directly across the street from the Friendship Centre.

“We are so grateful that a number of funding agencies saw the merits in our proposal.”

First occupancy is expected in September 2021.   The Board believes that our 30-unit building will be a neighbourhood enhancement and contribute to the local economy and well-being.