Eskasoni looks to get crane business off the ground

First Nation community partnering with East Coast Metal Fabrication Inc.

East Coast Metal Fabrication Inc. and Eskasoni Corporate division have signed on to jointly operate Mi’kmaq Crane Services Inc., a company that first formed close to a year ago.

The First Nations community owns 51 per cent of the business, with the objective of employing band members.

There are four crane operators from Eskasoni trained — two of whom are presently working on a project — to use the 110-tonne crane acquired by East Coast Metal Fabrication.

“There will be opportunities as work ramps up for other band members to be employed with the crane services,” said Steve Parsons, general manager of Eskasoni Corporate division.

It was decided a couple of years ago to pursue the business opportunity to make the Indigenous community with a population of 3,400 more self-sufficient, as well as becoming one of the few locally owned large crane operators in Cape Breton.

A newly constructed $10-million health centre located in Eskasoni was just opened and other projects completed were the fire hall and a family and children services centre.

And now there are hopes for future development opportunities in the community, Parsons said.

“Why go out and pay for a service when you can create your own. Build your own capacity, it’s called.”

Mi’kmaq Crane Services is currently working on a major project to replace the bumpers on the main pier at Marine Atlantic’s ferry terminal in North Sydney.

The company also has ongoing contracts with the Donkin Mine and Nova Scotia Power Inc.

Joe Hines, chief operating officer of East Coast Metal Fabrication, said by offering a crane service with boom trucks, it will make it more competitive. The company has hired Eskasoni band members as certified fabricators since 2015.

Eskasoni first signed an agreement involving crane services through Memski Projects, a collaboration between Membertou and Eskasoni, and Scotia Cranes Rentals Ltd. of Bras d’Or in November 2014.

However, that partnership dissolved when Scotia Cranes went out of business in 2016.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Eskasoni Corporate division and East Coast Metal Fabrication signed an agreement last week to partner in a joint venture called Mi’kmaq Crane Services Inc. At the work site at Marine Atlantic in North Sydney where the company is making repairs to the ferry terminal’s main pier were, from left, Mi’kmaq Crane Services Inc. crane operator James Kelly, Eskasoni Chief Leroy Denny, crane operator William Stevens, Eskasoni Corporate general manager Steve Parsons and East Coast Metal Fabrication chief operating officer Joe Hines.

Parsons