b'INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIPSwork hours and on-the-job training have historically been extremely difficult for Kitigan Zibi community members to obtain. Theres definitely a legacy of oppression in this industryshaming, ostracizing, stereotypes, says Wanda Thusky, who owns Decontie Construction together with her husband Andrew Decontie. A lot of our people have had to move away to the U.S. to find themselves employ-ment there. Andrews family comes from that legacy. Its a shameful legacy. Although dialogue has slowly progressed within the Quebec construction industry, Thusky says additional work is still required on the regulatory side to ensure more local people get hired for local proj-ects so they can obtain the experience needed to build their careers. The best way to do this, she says, is by creatingWanda Thusky and Andrew Decontie of Decontie Construction hope that by sharing their success strong partnerships with constructionstories they will help encourage dialogue between potential construction industry partners and companies outside the community.First Nation communitiesIn 2015, Decontie Construction entered suchapartnershipwithMilestoneKitigan Zibi in 2016. The project involvedexperience. They were in supervisory and Environmental Contracting, an Ottawa- the demolition of Corbeau Stationaadministrative roles and were involved based contracting firm specializing in soilhydroelectric power station built on thein site preparation and security. There and groundwater remediation, heavyGatineau River near Maniwaki in 1905was also an on-site team consisting of civil construction, decommissioningthat had been non-operational for overa foreman, apprentice, shovel operator and reclamation.30 yearsand the return of the site toand labourer, truck drivers and a shovel its natural state.owner. Several team members obtained The newly formed company, Decontieexperience to put towards their CCQ Milestone Inc., completed a $4.5-millionMore than 30 Anishinabeg peoplecompetency certification programs decommissioning project for Hydroworked on the project, obtaining trans- for journeyman/apprentice trades and Qubec on the Anishinabe territory offerable skills and significant employmentconstruction labourers. Milestones national lead for business development, Emmanuel Saydeh, says he would like to see partnerships like the one his company has with Decontie Excellence isused as a model to be replicated by custom-made,other contractors in the future. There are numerous benefits to the commu-and custom-madenity. Community engagement is part is personal. of our business model, Saydeh says. We rely on qualified local businesses Dedicated to excellenceand resources for the execution of our in engineering andprojects. This can lead to a long-project management, ourterm and mutually beneficial relation-seasoned team has theship, and, at times, one where the Nation expertise to tackle almostdevelops the environmental contracting any project, and we carecapacity and infrastructure as a stand-enough to do it right. alone company. In 2019, Decontie Construction made Peter Sutherland Sr.history yet again, this time as the first kgsgroup.com Generating Station Indigenous recipient of the Brownfielder of the Year award, one of the Canadian Brownfields Networks (CBN) Brownie 26A CCAB PUBLICATION2021'