ST. JOHN’S, N.L. - The Department of National
Defence (DND) has purchased approximately 6.4 hectares of land from Canada
Lands Company CLC Limited (CLC). The site was purchased for approximately
$800 thousand and will become home to the new multi-purpose facility at Canadian
Forces Station (CFS) St. John’s in Pleasantville, Newfoundland and Labrador.
CFS St. John’s and several Reserve and Cadet Units are currently dispersed
across land that is over three times larger than the assessed requirement. In
an effort to consolidate operations at the Station, the Department purchased
6.4 hectares of land on the south-western side of the current Pleasantville
location.
“This investment, which is part of the $101 million construction initiative
announced in April, clearly demonstrates the commitment of this government
to the Canadian Forces and to CFS St. John’s in Pleasantville,” said
The Honourable Peter Gordon MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister
of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.
“CFS St. John’s performs an important role in Newfoundland and
Labrador. The Station provides training, operational support and family
resources for numerous military units,” said the Chief of the Defence
Staff, General Rick Hillier. “This project is long overdue, and
once completed, will better support future operations.”
“The purchase of this land and the planned construction project will
significantly increase employment opportunities in the region,” said
the Honourable Loyola Hearn, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and Minister
responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador. “This is a major economic
benefit for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.”
The new multi-purpose facility project, estimated to be completed by Winter
2013, will replace facilities that were constructed as an American Army Base
during the Second Word War, and then transferred to the Canadian Government
in the late 1960s. The new facility will comprise operational training
space, offices and classrooms, medical and dental facilities, messes, vehicle
maintenance bays, warehouse space, and a Military Family Resource Centre.
There
has been a military presence in Pleasantville since the First World War. Until
recently, DND had been leasing the land from CLC, which purchased the site
from Public Works and Government Services of Canada in 2006.
- 30 -
