b'INDIGENOUS RELATIONSNET-ZERO GOALIn keeping with its B Corp status and its commitment to thinking beyond the completion of each individual project, Chandos has an ambitious goal of reaching net zero by 2040. The company will achieve this partly by shifting from diesel to electric equipment and vehicles, utilizing virtual design and construction software tools like BIM, and improving waste diversion.The construction firm has already purchased UN-certified carbon credits to offset its 5,700 tonnes of emissions generated in 2020. Going forward, it plans to reduce its estimated 160,000 tonnes of annual embodied carbon by 15 per cent each year. It also aims to increase the percentage of building-site waste diversion from 76 per cent to 80 per cent in 2022. Similarly, Chandos has been exploring more use of solar power on job sites in its Drayton Valley, Alberta and Blatchford District Energy System projects. The company is committed to a green initiative that will eventually lead to the planting of 57,000 trees.One of the projects that shows how the net-zero goal can work in practice is the First Nations Technical Institute (FNTI) being built under a $30-million contract on a reclaimed site at the Tyendinaga Mohawk Airfield near Napanee, Ont. It consists of an administrative and academic building that will revitalize the institute following a catastrophic fire. A massive timber build, the project is conceived as net zero, and also places high priority on using Indigenous workers, service providers and suppliers. FNTI estimates that the new facility could double or triple its enrolment withina decade.best interest of the project. For a not- them hadnt thought a lot about treatiesOne of the reasons we won the project for-profit charitable organization with aand the colonial legacy. to build out the school and the new inter-collection like ours, it was important tonational centre was our engagement have a process like this. Another landmark project for Chandosstrategy with local Nations, says Laronde. is the University of Victorias NationalWe reached out to the local Friendship Hyslop says the museum project requiredCentre for Indigenous Laws (NCIL), aCentre and told them we wanted to work builders with interest, understanding and$41-millioncontractfundedpartlywith them and their community, whether willingness to work with what is largelythrough a $9.1-million grant from thethrough employment or procurement. an Indigenous collection. When wefederal government and $5 million fromThat went into our proposal.were going through site studies, feasi- the Law Foundation of British Columbia. bility studies, the permits and approvalsChandos is constructing an addition toThisforward-lookingapproachto process, [Chandos] was really good atan existing law faculty building, sched- community engagement is a corner-advising the whole team, not just theuled for completion in 2023 and designedstone of Chandos workplace culture museum, on the importance of collab- to reflect the local Songhees, Esquimalt oration and consultation, she notes.and WSNE people with Coast Salishand has clearly been factored in to many [Laronde] led workshops for the wholedesigns, public art and appropriate localsuccessful bids. The company serves as a team on engaging with First Nationsbuilding materials like cedar. NCIL willshining example of a business choosing and other Indigenous communities. Hehouse the worlds first Indigenous lawto take an ethical approach. More impor-needed to play an educational role forprogram to combine the study of bothtantly, its shown that building a better some of the team members. Some ofIndigenous and non-Indigenous law. world can also be a profitable strategy.The Leaders in Railway Maintenanceand Construction Services Across CanadaREMCAN is committed to building positive, respectful, and sustainable relationships with Looking for a career in the rail industry?Indigenous communities.Our focus is on promoting employment opportunities, pre-employment www.remcanprojects.com/careers training, and business ventures or partnerships through community engagement.COMPETITIVEREWARDINGCUTTING-EDGEPAIDCOMPENSATION WORK EQUIPMENT TRAINING76A CCAB PUBLICATION2022'