Local One Partnering with community

By Melanie Franner

When Ryan Cherneski left his hometown of Saskatoon to undertake a renovation project on Vancouver Island, he had no idea that he would be setting forth on a whole new path. Fast forward three years and Cherneski and his co-partner Justin Morrison now operate Local One Construction with offices in Chemainus and Saskatoon.

A new start

Both men initially came to Vancouver Island to work on a school renovation project. Neither had been to the Island previously.

“There was a water main that froze, causing a lot of damage in the school in Klemtu,” explains Cherneski. “It was supposed to be a small insurance job but with the extent of the damages, we ended up doing a full restoration of the interior of the school, along with a staff housing building that had similar issues.”

The projects took about six months to complete, and it was enough time to change the course of their lives.

“We ended up forming very good relationships with several of the First Nations communities and just fell in love with the Island,” says Cherneski.

Community commitment

Falling in love with the Vancouver Island lifestyle is one thing but making a living on the Island is something else entirely. Fortunately, Cherneski and Morrison have benefitted from their commitment to hard work and dependability.

As a result, Local One has built a solid reputation in B.C., in particular with First Nations communities. Morrison estimates that about 95 per cent of their work involves First Nations projects. Although Morrison is proud to be Métis, he doesn’t promote his heritage as a competitive business advantage. The two men let their actions speak louder than their words.

“We are committed and reliable,” says Cherneski. “We have been doing general contracting work for the last 15-plus years. We are not afraid of hard work.”

Part of that work is developing ties to the community. “We always have an incentive to hire local people,” says Morrison. “We will post jobs where we are working and strive to hire local community members regardless of whether they need training or not. It all depends on the job.”

Local One also does on-site job training, and, if required, even offers educational courses. The company recently conducted two work-education programs with a local school, each involving 40 students.

This commitment to community has paid off. Of the six full-time individuals employed by Local One, five have been mentored through the company’s own training programs. “We always work with the communities in any way we can,” adds Morrison.

Project prowess

The breadth of construction experience afforded by Cherneski and Morrison means that the company can tackle projects of all shapes and sizes. Local One has undertaken a variety of jobs that range from project management, consulting, design planning, new builds, and restoration and renovations on residential and commercial buildings, Big/Long House projects and the building of outdoor trails.

One of the company’s more recently completed projects is an education and administration facility for the Stz’uminus First Nations in the town of Ladysmith. The $1.6 million new build took about a year to complete and involved working with a design team from Vancouver.

“Our clients were extremely happy with the results,” says Cherneski. “The project exceeded all of our expectations and it made our relationship with the Stz’uminus First Nations that much stronger.”

Cherneski and Morrison credit the success of that facility to the Local One team being awarded with the multi-million-dollar expansion project on Stz’uminus First Nation land to their new Culture Centre & Long House Renovation project. The com- pany hopes to break ground in early 2023. The plan includes an upgrade to the Long House and the construction of a new 5,000 square-foot Cultural Hall. The project will include the demolition and removal of the kitchen and dining half from the Long House, clearing and site preparation, structural remediation of the Long House, restoration of bench seating and roof, new washrooms, replacement of the dancer’s hall, entrance ways and sidewalks upgrade for universal access, and upgrades to the current parking lot. They will also construction a roof extension for breezeway coverage between the Long House and the Cultural Hall, install a new commercial kitchen, storage space, and first aid room, along with other related work.

Strengthening bonds

The Local One west coast venture is proving to be a resounding success, with the company’s work ethic and experience paying dividends. So, too, is its commitment to community and culture – as dem- onstrated by Local One’s ability to develop and foster close relationships with many First Nations communities.

“We’re definitely here for the long term,” says Morrison. “We have a large variety of projects we are currently working on, along with a number of new projects starting in 2023.”

The initial trip to Vancouver Island may have been considered temporary but it looks like both men now intend to stay for the long term. n