Fort William First Nation — Big things are happening south of Thunder Bay, as multi-generational shop owner and former Collision Repair cover star Roy Pelletier revealed that his facility will soon become the fifth Intact Rely Service Centre in Ontario—and the very first on First Nations territory.
While preparations for the rebrand and eventual relaunch of his business are underway, Pelletier says that a certain amount of goodwill was formed with Intact just from a simple visit to his home.
“We had the head of the Rely network and the v-p of supply chain come visit a couple of weeks ago, spend some time on the First Nation and look over our operations,” he told Collision Repair over the phone.
“It was a big step for somebody from the high-level management of an insurance company to come out and visit us for the first time in the 50 years we have been here.”
Those who read Collision Repair’s December 2021 feature story about Pelletier may recall the struggles he, his father and his father before him, had to face in the pursuit of recognition as an accredited collision repair facility on First Nation soil.
“This is a huge opportunity for us—I think probably the biggest opportunity to come our way in our three generations. To partner with a company with the pedigree of Intact is certainly going to create huge opportunities for us going forward,” said Pelletier.
The official grand re-opening of Pelletier’s shop is set for Sept. 28 at 950 Chippewa Rd, Fort William First Nation.
