Successes of Indigenous construction company provided at Niagara Falls conference
By Sam Laskaris
NIAGARA FALLS – An Indigenous-led construction company is proving that dreams can indeed become reality.
Shwe Miikaan is a construction company owned by Henvey Inlet First Nation, Magnetewan First Nation, and Shawanaga First Nation.
Shwe Miikaan board member Anthony Laforge provided details on some of the company’s successes at the recent Ontario First Nations Technical Services Corporation (OFNTSC) conference that was held in Niagara Falls.
The two-day conference, held at the Sheraton Fallsview, concluded on May 13.
Laforge, a member of Nipissing First Nation, spoke at a session at the event, Gikendaaso – Paving the way with a smart partnership.
One of the major projects that Shwe Miikaan has been involved with is the expansion of Highway 69.
“We were kind of dreaming at the beginning,” Laforge said of Shwe Miikaan, which began operations in 2015. “But now it’s not a dream, it’s reality.”
The company has been involved in several projects.
The Highway 69 expansion still has 68 kilometres of work to be completed, between Parry Sound and Sudbury.
“Thirty years ago, no First Nation was able to bid on a project, especially construction, and build their own highway, through the territory,” Laforge said.
Shwe Miikaan has been able to become profitable and put members of all three First Nations that own the company to work.
“And that money stays in the First Nation,” Laforge said. “It doesn’t go anywhere.”
Shwe Miikaan was able to land the Highway 69 project after it formed a partnership with AtkinsRéalis, a leading Canadian company that provides engineering, procurement, and construction services to various industries.
During the OFNTSC session, Laforge was joined by Sunil Kothari, AtkinsRéalis portfolio director for its transportation division, who also provided details on the partnership.
“This partnership didn’t start overnight,” Kothari said. “It took a lot of relationship-building and work from both sides to come together and determine that it is the right partnership.”
Kothari added various AtkinsRéalis departments were involved in talks before joining forces with Shwe Miikaan.
“The partnership came together after several months of due diligence,” he said. “It required a lot of internal discussions. It’s not the type of partnership that you put together every day. So, it took a lot of input from our team.”
Laforge said there were plenty of naysayers who were against Shwe Miikaan.
“We’ve been trailblazing for a long time,” he said of the company’s work during the past decade. “The province always wanted us to go away.”
He said provincial officials didn’t believe an Indigenous group could build a highway.
“But we can do it,” Laforge said. “There’s people out there. We have our youth going to school, trying to be engineers to help us out.”
Laforge added that some continuous First Nations’ leadership has benefited Shwe Miikaan.
“One good thing that has been lucky for me is having to deal with leadership in all three First Nations,” he said. “The continuity has been great because those three Chiefs have been there for 10 years, off and on. So that’s one bonus.”
Because of Shwe Miikaan’s successes, Laforge believes other First Nations can follow in their footsteps and create successful construction companies.
“We created that example and it’s working out well,” he said. “Other First Nations need to try it.”
And he also had some other parting advice.
“You’re the owner,” he said. “It’s your land. Don’t be shy. And don’t ever stop.”