NR -10.095 - August 12, 2010
CFB BORDEN, Ont. – The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, today announced six new defence infrastructure projects that are helping to modernize facilities at Canadian Forces Base Borden. Improvements to this key base, which acts as a training centre for Canadian Forces members from all across the country, will generate economic benefits and significant employment opportunities throughout the course of the work.
"This major investment in defence infrastructure at CFB Borden demonstrates the Government's commitment to the men and women in uniform now and in the future," said Minister MacKay. "This is the largest investment that CFB Borden and the surrounding community have seen in decades, and provides significant economic support to this region as Canada continues its economic recovery."
Within the next year, CFB Borden will see the completion of the recapitalization of eight housing units, and an upgrade to its intrusion detection system. Projects in the early design phase include a new Canadian Forces recruiting headquarters and a military police academy. Design work will be underway in the next 12 months.
"This investment in infrastructure will lay the foundation for success for the diverse base units here at CFB Borden," said General Walter Natynczyk, Chief of the Defence Staff. "The new facilities planned here will provide the training and support required to enable members of the Canadian Forces to carry out the tasks as we, as Canadians, ask of them."
While announcing the six projects, Minister MacKay also pointed to two recently completed projects also funded through the Canada First Defence Strategy, which have already delivered a boost to the local economy. Combined with today's announcements, the Government's total investment in infrastructure at CFB Borden is almost $210 million.
The Government of Canada will conduct open, fair, and transparent competition processes in order to award the contracts for the projects at CFB Borden.
In line with the Canada First Defence Strategy, there is a need to update and replace dated defence infrastructure to meet the challenges of the 21st century. The Government's significant investments in defence infrastructure provide economic benefits to communities across Canada.
The Department of National Defence holds a large number of properties all across the country to support the Canadian Forces, including some 21,000 buildings, 2.25 million hectares of land, 5,500 km of roads, and 3,000 km of water, storm, and sewer pipes.
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For further information: please see the backgrounder on defence infrastructure at CFB Borden at www.forces.gc.ca
