ModBox Modular
NEWSFUNDING · EXPANSION

Ontario invests $1M in ModBox to expand modular home production in Thunder Bay

NOHFC funding will grow ModBox from a 4,000 sq ft shop into a 25,000 sq ft modular facility and create 20 new jobs across Northwestern Ontario.

The Government of Ontario, through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, is investing $1 million to help ModBox Modular scale up modular home construction in Thunder Bay — increasing capacity to serve First Nations communities and residential clients across the north.

ModBox Modular has received a $1,000,000 investment from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) to expand its modular home construction operation in Thunder Bay. The funding supports the purchase of a new industrial building, renovations, and modern production equipment — increasing ModBox's footprint from roughly 4,000 square feet to 25,000 square feet and adding 20 new positions to the team.

The expansion lets ModBox deliver more turn-key modular homes, faster, to communities across Northwestern Ontario — including First Nations partners that depend on factory-built homes shipped up the winter ice road and trucked to remote sites. With the larger facility, ModBox can run multiple modules through framing, mechanical, and finishing stages in parallel rather than sequentially, compressing project timelines without compromising quality.

Founded in Thunder Bay and rooted in the north, ModBox builds wood-frame, light steel-frame, and custom modular homes engineered for the Northern Ontario climate. The team has delivered teacher housing in Pikangikum, a community fitness centre, and multi-unit residential builds across four First Nations communities — Pikangikum, Deer Lake, Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, and Moose Cree.

The NOHFC announcement is part of Ontario's broader investment in Northern Ontario housing capacity, recognizing modular construction as one of the fastest practical paths to delivering homes in remote and underserved communities. The expanded ModBox Shop will become one of Northern Ontario's largest dedicated modular facilities once the buildout is complete.

This investment allows us to increase our capacity and invest in new equipment so we can deliver more projects faster.

Anthony and John McRae, Co-owners, ModBox Modular
Announcement Day
Four officials at a podium under NOHFC and Government of Ontario banners inside the ModBox modular fabrication yard, with a completed modular home behind them
Funding announcement at the ModBox Shop · Government of Ontario and NOHFC banners
Provincial officials applaud alongside the ModBox production crew inside the newly acquired 25,000 sq ft ModBox Shop
Crew celebrate alongside provincial officials inside the new 25,000 sq ft facility
Anthony McRae, ModBox co-owner, taking questions from two reporters in front of a completed modular home inside the ModBox Shop
Anthony McRae, ModBox co-owner, speaks with media after the announcement
Kevin Holland, MPP for Thunder Bay, fielding press questions in front of a completed modular home inside the ModBox yard
Kevin Holland, MPP for Thunder Bay, fields questions on Northern housing capacity
George Pirie speaks with TBT News and another reporter in front of a completed modular home at the ModBox Shop, video camera and tripod in the foreground
George Pirie addresses press at the ModBox Shop