New garage, lower costs

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For years, the Cree Nation of the Mistissini in Quebec was perhaps the only Cree nation without its own municipal garage. Not having such a facility was costing the nation money in the maintenance of its heavy machinery, such as graders and loaders.

Today, the cost of taking the equipment to the nearest community 90 km away for repair is in the past. The Mistissini garage opens its doors this month.

Robert Jimikin, Director of Public Works for the Cree Nation of Mistissini said it's a nice building, capable of housing six to eight machines at one time.

Before, when there was nothing to work in but a small old building, only two machines at a time could be accommodated. In the winter months this was particularly frustrating, because the machines waiting outside in the cold couldn't just be started up and moved into the building when there was a space available. The machines had to be warmed up and that could take as long as a couple of hours for each machine.

In the new facility, machines can be inside and kept warm. They can be worked on without the nuisance of having them jockeying for position with a cramped facility.

The garage took five years to realize, said Jimikin. The cost of the building alone, using mostly community money, was $675,000. But an infrastructure had to be put in place as well, and the cost blossomed to $950,000 for roadways, water and sewage.

The community hopes to be able to recoup this money over the next 10 years through its variety of road maintenance contracts. Cost savings will also come with the hire of their own mechanic to work on the machines.

Eventually the garage will be a place where community members will be able to service their own personal vehicles to do oil changes, or tire repair. All in all the new garage will be an important addition to the band-owned facilities at Mistissini.