Case Study

In the past five years alone, Profor and Clow Darling have completed numerous projects in remote First Nation Communities focusing on building schools, nursing stations and band offices. Clow Darling would facilitate and install all heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

Unique Challenges

Lance Reid, former owner of Profor Engineering, worked extensively with Clow Darling over the past twenty-three or more years as a consulting engineering in the commercial sector. As a consulting engineer, Profor would hire Clow Darling for many projects and developed an excellent working relationship on several commercial projects. Several were Aboriginal First Nation Projects and it is this vast selection of projects that Lance and Clow worked on that Lance remembers well.

Profor would provide detailed drawings and Clow would interpret the drawings to create full scale projects, on schedule and within budget guidelines. The work would involve installing heating boilers and full hot water heating systems.

Clow Daring was the preferred company of choice because of the expertise in navigating winter roads, scheduling staff, equipment and resources to fly-in communities and the excellent knowledge of the requirements of working in remote communities, that set Clow Darling apart.

Often, fuel sources would have to be established and Clow would complete full fuel system projects, installing and starting up full fuel oil systems and propane/natural gas systems in advance of operating the appliances such as boilers or complete hot water heating systems that required fuel or gas storage, fuel/gas tank connection and fuel/gas distribution. This diversification and knowledge of fuel/gas systems was often outside of the normal scope of work of other similar companies and another reason why Clow Darling was often chosen to successfully implement these projects.

The ability to coordinate these large projects resulted in repeated projects between Profor and Clow Darling. Clow also understood First Nation organizations, respected their views, hired First Nation companies for equipment and hired First Nation employees. Clow also has considerable experience in converting fuel oil as the primary heating method to a safer method of propane or natural gas.

Some recent hi-lights are the recent upgrade to Mishkeegogamang First Nation’s School – The Missabay Community School. Profor and Clow worked together with a complete upgrade from the dated fuel oil heating method to a cleaner propane system.

Naotkamegwanning First Nation also upgraded their school from fuel to propane to create a safer, more environmentally conscious fuel delivery method to also allow the school to operate more equipment and that was limited with the older oil fuel delivery method.