My name is Brian Yee. I work for TL Housing Solutions and was brought on to the Wisteria site in September of 2019. Never before has our team worked in an environment as tight knit as the one we cultivated while building here. When we first arrived on site, it was just a field of sand. We dug the sand and poured concrete, repeating until we got above ground. Steadily, with each concrete pour, the building began to take life.

As I write this, the site has been going for 616 days, with dozens of trades involved, and over 870 workers safely passing through, to help build this dream. With the help of all the trades involved and our core staff of workers at TL Housing Solutions giving it their all, each day saw a new addition to the building that gave it character and brought this dream closer to fruition.

Each morning, our foremen and I deliver a crew talk to give everyone their marching orders for the day. We also provide safety information and instruction in what we call a “toolbox meeting” to keep our workers safe from the hazards of the construction site. We combine this with a perspective talk, instilling inspiration and pride in the work about to be done.

We tell the crew about what we are trying to accomplish - to build a place for our parents, our grandparents and our loved ones to live in a beautiful environment. A place where grandchildren, children and friends can all gather together and celebrate the love that they have for one another. We are building more than just a building. This is a place that is significant, not just for the lovely community of Steveston, but for the many families from all over who will meet here in the coming years, and decades. And all because we were given the opportunity to build it.

Every once in a while, there would be an elderly couple or group who would wander past the site. They would ask many questions and I was always more than happy to speak with them. A couple of them said they were on the list to get into Wisteria Place. One man said to make sure to do a good job on his room, and I said “of course”! And in my walks through the building, I imagine them here, watching the TV in the lounge by the fireplace, or dining in the beautiful dining room. It was because of these personal interactions, that I could really visualize the end-purpose for what this building was intended.

There were so many faces that came and went through the phases of construction. Long gone are the framers who put up the wood frame structure after we poured the concrete slab. In our free-time, in the courtyard before there was any landscaping, the undulations in the concrete slab made huge puddles of rain water. The framers would make little tiny boats out of scrap wood, put a mast and a paper sail on it, and presto! A sail boat. They would enjoy having sail boat races at lunch time. I believe this set the foundation for all of the great relationships that will cultivate at Wisteria for years to come.

At dawn, I would try to sneak up to the South East suites, namely suite 415, or 325, and watch the sunrise over Mt Baker. There is no better experience than enjoying a coffee with the golden sun peaking over the horizon. The dawn of a new day, just like the community we are building. Many of the workers have noted how beautiful the mornings and sunsets are here. The views to Steveston Park and the North Shore Mountain Range are just breathtaking and the ocean is so close by. Tranquillity.

I have tried to get to know most of the workers who have come through Wisteria from the various trades. The electricians, plumbers, sprinkler fitters, drywallers, cabinet installers, window crew, door supplier, door lock technicians, concrete form workers, rebar crew, cleaning crew, flooring... the list goes on. My 18-year-old son started working here when he was still in Grade 12, on Spring Break and continued on past graduation. We had workers from Mexico, the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, India, Germany, Austria, England, Africa, Ecuador, Argentina, and Columbia, to name just a few – all with their own personal stories and varied perspectives. An international effort you could say, and we all understood what we were building.

My team is so proud of this build. I have been here since day one and have enjoyed every single day. The crew that TLHS has assembled for Wisteria is probably the most closely-knit crew that I have ever had the pleasure to work with. For some of the crew, it was their first time on a real construction site. They had their first taste of what it was like to be part of a challenging build. Many learned their trades working here as apprentices, hopefully spring-boarding their careers in whichever direction they aimed for. Many made new friends, coming away with a richer life.

We wanted our site to be like no other; to be an inclusive, positive and safety-oriented site that was tolerant and understanding towards its workers. It was necessary, as what we were building would stand for exactly that. The positive energy that went into building Wisteria will live on within its suites, its hallways, its many rooms and the beautiful courtyard that we all had a chance to see come to Life.

This was a pleasure to build.

-Brian Yee