Construction has begun on the new Cumberland House band office, with an official sod-turning ceremony Thursday.

The new energy efficient band office will be 15,458 square feet and will hold the band’s financial services, administrative chambers and daycare facilities.

Construction is expected to take five months to complete. The previous band office was destroyed in a fire last December and the Cumberland House Cree Nation said they had lost historical data and material that could not be replaced. Chief Rene Chaboyer says while that loss was devastating they are taking the opportunity to create a facility that will be even better and that the community members can be proud of. He says they have engaged with Saskatoon’s 3-twenty Modular to deliver what will be one of the most high performance commercial buildings in northern Saskatchewan.