In the upcoming issue of Collision Repair Magazine, we head north.
Toronto, Ontario — May 3, 2019 — Any vehicle operating in Canada’s Arctic and subarctic regions must contendwith climate and road conditions that are among the most inhospitable in the world. The often unpaved roads, which are subject to extreme frost-heaving, test the limits of even the most well-tuned suspension system.
Broken down vehicles from as far away as 1,200 km away in Inuvik, NWT, end up in Irving Collision’s garage.
Under the command of owner-operator Graham Irving, an intrepid 10-person team braves cruel winds, long winter nights and the biting cold to do what they do best—collision repair.
Founded by Graham’s father, George Irving, in 1978, the business was established during a time when geographic barriers presented an even greater challenge than today.
At the time, even big-city repairers did not have access to the specialized tools, training and procedural guidelines that form the basis of most of the work done in modern repair facilities. Today in the subarctic, the difference between “up-and-running” and “job-done” is largely indistinguishable.
Graham Irving, who has worked in the facility since its creation, is happy to say that this is no longer the case. That said, he has happy memories of that bygone era.
“In the early days, we got very good at figuring it out as we went along,” Graham says. “It’s all a part of the Yukon spirit. If you couldn’t get what you needed, you figured out a way to do without it.”
Since taking over the business a decade ago, the younger Irving has emphasized the need for his team to prioritize staying up-to-date with training and making use of I-Car’s growing list of online courses and has been sending team members to Edmonton for the welding courses that require hands-on classes.
“Covering the cost of a flight and a hotel room is well worth it to keep us at the top of our game,” says Irving. “Driving in the territories puts a lot of strain on vehicles, and you don’t want to end up breaking down. We deal with a lot of new cars—so understanding how to fix them is absolutely vital to the business.”
This commitment to adopting the most up-to-date procedures marked Irving Collision out for special recognition. In 2009, the facility became one of the first of the Co-operator’s approved bodyshops and a few years later TD Insurance added it to its own preferred vendor’s list.
While the days of “make-do” repairing may have come to an end, Irving Collision’s remote location still poses many challenges for the business—particularly logistical ones.
For one thing, at 1,988 kilometres from Edmonton and 2,390 kilometres from Vancouver, logistics can be a nightmare. It can take up to four days for parts to arrive. Unless Irving Collision’s team works in perfect unison, customers face long delays.
For another, finding well-suited new hires is no easy task as there are simply not enough qualified Yukoners. While convincing young collision repair professionals to move to the Far North might sound like a tough sell, Irving has his pitch down pat.
“The truth is this is a great place to be in collision repair. We’re a vital service here and the sense of accomplishment we get from repairing our customers’ vehicles and sending them home happy is very rewarding.”
Irving is hardly boasting when he refers to his business as providing a vital service in the community and far beyond—something made clear by the many glowing customer testimonials found online.
One of the few Canadian facilities to maintain a five-star rating on Google, customers—several of them acclaimed reviewers of local businesses—shower thanks on Irving and his team for their efforts with surprising enthusiasm.
“This family-run business went above and beyond to make me happy. You can’t even tell my vehicle has been in an accident, thanks to their high-quality work and paint colour matching and blending,” wrote Lawrence Bakelaar, whose reviews of Whitehorse businesses have led Google to confer the title local guide on him. “They are also very honest and fair—they won’t do any work that they can’t guarantee.”
For Irving, these challenges are just one-of-many facts-of-life in the north. While soft southern repairers may balk at some of these geographic nightmares, for Irving, they are just another quirk of life in the Yukon.
“I was born here, so a lot of the things we deal with actually seem routine. But I know that seeing a grizzly wandering through town, or waiting for a moose to cross the road can take some getting used to!”
