Tron Construction and Mining, owned by English River First Nation’s Des Nedhe Group of Companies, and Allied Track Services, a supplier of track, signal and communications construction and maintenance services, have established a joint venture.
The partnership brings together two companies with a proven record in the core competencies required for rail expansions, they say in a statement. The participation of Tron, which is First Nations-owned and has working partnerships with other First Nation entities across the country, also clears a path for increased training, employment and economic opportunity for Indigenous people in this vital segment of Canada’s transportation sector.
“We discovered shared values and natural synergies in our discussions with Allied,” Anthony Clark, president and Chief Executive Officer of Tron, said in the statement. “Both companies are built on a culture of safety, quality and customer satisfaction. Together, we can leverage each company’s strengths in a meaningful way from coast to coast to coast.”
The rail industry touches or is adjacent to First Nation land in many regions and the Tron-Allied JV is intended to open doors to greater Indigenous participation in rail expansions. Andy Jones, vice-president and Chief Operating Officer for Allied, said the JV reflects the changing face of Canadian industry.
“Over the past 12 months, Tron and Allied have worked together to identify and establish a strong organizational cultural and capacity alignment,” said Jones. “We now look forward to delivering solutions for our clients and the economic benefit of First Nations communities. Once again, Canada’s railways can play a unifying role across a large and diverse country.”
Tron has office locations in Saskatchewan and Ontario. Tron was acquired by English River First Nation through Des Nedhe Group in 1997 and, as a national contractor, provides a wide range of construction and infrastructure services to industries ranging from mining and petrochemicals to nuclear power to utilities.
Allied is headquartered in Grimsby, Ontario and provides full-service track and signals and communications construction and maintenance services across Canada. Founded originally in 1987, Allied now operates from offices in Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia, as well as in Texas through its sister company Bottom Line Company, Inc.
Allied is a portfolio company of Bridging Finance Inc., a Toronto-based asset manager with $1.5 billion in assets and a significant portfolio of Indigenous projects across Canada.