Starting as a two-man radio shop that shared a building with Trans North Helicopters, Total North Communications has become one of the North’s leading-edge, information and communication technology (ICT) companies. Now with a team of 18-25 employees, depending on the time of year, Total North’s culture of innovation and client focus has remained central to its success.

From phone and radio to renewable power and network server systems, Total North utilizes a variety of ICT technologies including wireless networks, fibre optic transmission and satellite solutions. No matter the client problem though, the company aims to find the most cost-effective solution balancing quality, reliability and cost.  

Recently, while working with the Kwanlin Dun First Nation, Total North technicians discovered that the existing phone system costs were high. “When we got there and found out what was going on, we saw that they were paying a significant amount for telco bills,” says Dan Johnson, Total North’s President. With a combination of fibre optics, wireless, and next-generation technology, Total North was able to eliminate a large portion of Kwanlin Dun’s monthly communication expenses. “We installed a new phone system and switching platform that they were able to pay off in under two years,” says Johnson. “Now they’re saving money that can be used for other purposes.”

Total North services a variety of sectors across a range of technologies including government (municipal, territorial, federal and First Nation), oil and gas, as well as the mining and exploration industry. And geographically, the company works in an operating area encompassing the entire Yukon, Northwest Territories and Northern B.C.

Some of the bigger projects Total North has completed include building out a significant portion of ICT infrastructure for the mining projects of Alexco Resource Corporation and Yukon Zinc’s Wolverine Mine, which included microwave, satellite, structured cabling, phone systems, TV systems and two-way radio site-wide communications. This exposure to a diverse set of technical problems led to the growth of the company’s IT services group, providing end-to-end solutions and in many cases managed services to a majority of the First Nations entities and municipalities in Yukon.

Being a Northern company has defined the company’s character.  Having the motivation to invent fixes from the beginning is an internal attitude that lives on in the company today. It’s likely why, when two senior employees saw the need for a modular communications shelter, they developed a new product for the company and branded it as Total Shelter. This flexible unit can be used for everything from a remote communications hub to a tiny home.

Total Shelter was the brainchild of the late company president, Gord Duncan as well as Dan Johnson shortly after he joined Total North. The two kept encountering problems when attempting to source communications shelters. “Everything on the market was ultra expensive with long lead times, not modifiable and never quite what we wanted,” recalls Johnson.

Working with a renowned industrial design firm called Form3, Total North developed a ground-up design for modular communications shelters with aluminum extrusion.  “These shelters can be easily assembled – think erector sets for adults – and built exactly to specifications on a client-by-client basis,” says Johnson.  Total Shelter units are currently used by Air North, Yukon’s Airline for office space and as a data center; Yukonstruct as a metal shop; the Yukon Government for a communications shelter; and the Columbia Basin Trust in the interior of B.C. for a fiber deployment.

Total North is also moving into the renewable energy market. This came about when they installed, what was at the time, the Yukon’s largest Solar array at the Mount Lorne waste facility. Now, plans are in the works for solar installations totalling over 65 Kw for the Da Daghay Development Corp.

This is par for the course as Total North continues its quest to become the leading technical integration group in the North. And, as it continues to expand its reach geographically, the company proves that expertise built in the North is good in any environment.