{"id":526913,"date":"2026-03-10T13:56:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T13:56:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/526913\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T13:56:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T13:56:26","slug":"new-sask-company-looking-to-transform-housing-on-first-nations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/526913\/","title":{"rendered":"New Sask. company looking to transform housing on First Nations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Housing on First Nations across Saskatchewan is in short supply and often in disrepair. A new Saskatchewan company has come up with a new housing solution to these long-standing problems.<\/p>\n

Wast\u0113yapit Homes<\/a> is an Indigenous co-owned housing company that is creating innovative, affordable homes that are designed and built to save on both short and long-term costs.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/p>\n

Wast\u0113yapit is building \u2018log style\u2019 modular homes, ranging from one-bedroom to four-bedroom, and coating them with a specially developed \u2018Insta-Coating\u2019 finish that will ensure the homes are sustainable and long-lasting.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re one of the first companies that can\u2019t have rot, mould, mildew, water damage, or hail damage on your house. Those are the five-key factors that First Nations deal with,\u201d said Randy Janes, founder of Wast\u0113yapit Homes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a ballistic-proof coating, where if you stood six-feet away and shot it with a .350 Magnum, it wouldn\u2019t penetrate the wall,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The coating applied to the homes, developed by Janes, is anti-microbial and will not only deter mildew and mould, but mice and other pests.<\/p>\n

\"Display<\/a><\/p>\n

Display model of a one-bedroom home, able to be transported on steel chassis. (Submitted)<\/p>\n

Janes said that Wast\u0113yapit\u2019s initial building costs are an average of 10 to 30 per cent less than building costs of a comparable home. But he said the biggest savings come in the lack of upkeep an owner will be required to do to their home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe initial build is not the biggest expense for most First Nations \u2013 it\u2019s the maintenance, upkeep, and health issues that come into play after the house has been there for five years,\u201d said Janes. \u201cMaintenance for our homes is only windows, doors, and cabinets. You won\u2019t have to worry about structure.\u201d<\/p>\n

The coating on the homes also makes them 50 to 70 percent more efficient for heating and cooling, said June. It also has an A1 fire rating \u2013 the highest rating for construction materials, signifying it is non-combustable.<\/p>\n

While Wast\u0113yapit Homes are not limited to building in any particular location, they are prioritizing bringing the benefits of their homes to First Nations in Saskatchewan.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou look at the conditions people live in, it\u2019s just not right. On some First Nations, housing is so desperately needed that people are making due with houses that are not livable,\u201d said Kimberly Greyeyes, co-founder of Wast\u0113yapit Homes and member of Muskeg Lake Cree Nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about wanting better for our people. They deserve better and should have better. That\u2019s what we\u2019re hoping for.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to a 2024 report by the Assembly of First Nations, 25 per cent of households in Saskatchewan First Nations experience overcrowding. Approximately 20 per cent of homes in First Nations communities require major repairs, while 6.5 per cent need to be replaced entirely, according to a 2021 report.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the amount of overcrowding in First Nations, homes wear out faster than you think,\u201d said Greyeyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo many homes have been lost to fires. We have so many displaced people. We would save so much money if we didn\u2019t have to rebuild after every fire,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Greyeyes said that housing and building costs have made it so her adult children, who work full-time, are still unable to find an affordable home.<\/p>\n

Wast\u0113yapit Homes lists their smallest builds \u2013 a 20\u00d716 foot, one bedroom log-style home, for $99,900. Their largest home \u2013 a 60\u00d716 foot, four-bedroom home, is priced at $245,900.<\/p>\n

According to CREA Statistics, the average price of a home in Saskatchewan in late 2025 was $368,300.<\/p>\n

Wast\u0113yapit Homes are currently contracted to build 16 homes in the northern community of Fond-du-Lac, with the potential for an additional nine.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything starts from your home,\u201d said Greyeyes. \u201cA healthy home helps you raise a healthy family.\u201d<\/p>\n

The official launch of Wast\u0113yapit Homes lands on International Women\u2019s Day \u2013 March 8.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Housing on First Nations across Saskatchewan is in short supply and often in disrepair. A new Saskatchewan company…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":526914,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[49,48,295,66],"class_list":{"0":"post-526913","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-environment","11":"tag-science"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=526913"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526913\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/526914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=526913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=526913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=526913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}