Insurance nightmares, unexpected delays and fears of inflated building prices have dominated headlines during the Fort McMurray wildfire rebuild.
But one company has tried to focus on the positives by honouring companies that have helped with the massive effort.
In December, CertainTeed Gypsum Canada honoured five builders and contractors, including Shawn Chaulk, owner of Fort McMurray-based Stratford Contracting Limited and Stratford Homes.
Shawn Chaulk is the owner of Fort McMurray-based Stratford Contracting Limited and Stratford Homes. (David Thurton/ CBC)
CertainTeed will donate $10,000 to local Fort McMurray charities on behalf of Chaulk and four other honourees. The company said in a news release it chose Chaulk because of his dedication to elders in the community and his commitment to help a widow rebuild, even if she doesn’t receive enough insurance compensation.
Chaulk’s companies have finished or are in the process of completing more than 40 homes lost in the May 2016 wildfire. It’s the most work his company has ever undertaken, he said,
“(It’s) just the way we operate anyway,” Chaulk told CBC News. “If people think we go above and beyond, that’s great.”
Chaulk’s company has been working overtime this month. In one case, the company worked extra hours to ensure a homeowner was able to move into her newly rebuilt house for Christmas.
“It’s mind boggling and amazing how many wonderful people we have in this province and in (Fort McMurray),” said Tara Ryton, CertainTeed’s territory manager for northern Alberta. “The giving and concern for people and others in (Fort McMurray) is outstanding. And everybody puts other people above themselves.”
CertainTeed manufactures building products such as drywall, roofing siding and fencing. The company is based in Mississauga, Ont., and has locations in Manitoba, Alberta and B.C. The company said it will likely supply 80 to 90 per cent of the drywall or gypsum used in the Fort McMurray rebuild.
In the early months after the wildfire, the company expressed concerns about U.S. imports flooding the market.
The Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) ruled in January that U.S. firms were dumping drywall at cut-rate prices in Canada, and recommended imposing tariffs. The ruling came after CertainTeed complained to the tribunal about U.S. competitors.
The federal government announced in February it would compensate families forced to pay extra duties.
Follow David Thurton, CBC’s Fort McMurray correspondent, on Facebook, Twitter and email him at david.thurton@cbc.ca