Canada North managing Russian housing project
Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Mar 21/01) - House building is not without its glitches, especially if you're trying it in Russia where economic and political upheaval are part of the construction schedule.
But patience and perseverance could soon pay off for at least one Yellowknife company attempting to access this difficult market.
Canada North Projects is managing a house-building project in the far eastern part of Russia. Its goal is to complete houses for display and then market the homes for a year.
Bob Doherty, president of Canada North Projects, said Russia is a difficult place to get things done. He is off to Russia this week to monitor the project and work on potential new business.
"Up to this point, the focus has been on getting these projects done. Now, we're into the last year, and the focus is on business development," Doherty said.
Under the three-year project, primarily funded by the Canada International Development Agency, a handful of demonstration houses are being built in Vladivostok, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Khabarovsk.
Most of the homes are complete with one in Vladivostok open for show.
The program included bringing 20 Russians to Canada in 1999 for training at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.
Working with Doherty on the housing project are Guy Pemberton, president of Dowland Contracting, and Stefan Simek of architectural and engineering firm Ferguson Simek Clark.
"One of our objectives is to purchase Canadian and Northern products to develop a market. One of our main areas of interest is Russia."
Adding to the challenge of keeping the project going was the fact that some partners, including three companies and the Alberta government, pulled out in the wake of Russia's economic troubles of 1998.
"We stayed and pushed it forward," Doherty, a former deputy minister of Public Works and Services, and Transportation, said.
Doherty adds the project may result in a housing deal in Nakhodha in Russia.
"We're working on financing and meeting with a Moscow company to identify truss manufacturing technology that best meets their needs."
"We're talking to a number of other companies" in Russia about more business opportunities, adds Doherty.
