Many of Canada’s Indigenous populations depend on bottled water due to long-term drinking water advisories in their communities. Solar-powered multi-effect distillation has been demonstrated to be a sustainable solution for producing clean water for domestic use. However, there is a lack of research regarding its suitability for small-scale plants in northern climates. In this study, a building-integrated solar multi-effect distillation system is designed to meet the freshwater demand of a multi-unit residential building in a remote Indigenous community in Canada. Annual simulations carried out in TRNSYS assess the technical and economic performance using two types of solar thermal collectors: flat plate and evacuated tube. Simulations show that using a solar multi-effect distillation system with evacuated tube collectors can meet or exceed the water demand of a multi-unit residential building located in communities at or below a latitude of 59 degrees north in a cost-effective manner relative to current drinking water delivery options.