Ottawa to fund relaunch of CMR

[blasty_bough]

""As a taxpayer, $10M IS alot of money to me per year.  As a CF mbr, "opening a facility" is a good thing, sure.  I think there are more bases/areas needing that money MORe than the folks that are going to get it.

Good is not necessarily "the best".  You wouldn't fire your main armament that way, you shouldn't spend your money that way, either..."



As a taxpayer I'm intereted in the strategic value and the return-on-investment. For me it's not about opening a facility, its about what it prodices for the CF. I agree $10M is a lot of money and that's why it needs to be invested well to achieve to achieve a long-term strategy.  

 

[IN HOC SIGNO]

And now that we're busy reopening old training facilities will we expect to see Royal Roads reopening soon, along with CFB Chilliwack and CFB Cornwallis? Oh yeah that's right they're not in Quebec...silly me.

 

[blasty_bough]

Don't three of those four organizations already report to one institution...CDA. This particular organization is growing by the day....it just assumed parts of DTEP last week. Perhaps this is the type of organization that Agent 007 is speaking? I agree with the comments about money and cost effectiveness.

 

[McG]

And now that we're busy reopening old training facilities will we expect to see Royal Roads reopening soon, along with CFB Chilliwack and CFB Cornwallis?

This is not re-opening old bases.  It is expanding something we already have there (though it brings it to the status it once had).  When CFB Chilliwack closed, its units & schools moved: 1 CER is in Edmonton, CFSME is in Gagetown, and CFOCS is in St Jean.

 

[IN HOC SIGNO]

This is not re-opening old bases.  It is expanding something we already have there (though it brings it to the status it once had).  When CFB Chilliwack closed, its units & schools moved: 1 CER is in Edmonton, CFSME is in Gagetown, and CFOCS is in St Jean.

And we moved the military college students from CMR to Royal Military college in Kingston after a big renovation to RMC to take the extra students. They allowed a squadron to stay at the old college to do CGEP prep year and I would suggest to appease the voters in the riding. It is a re-opening by any other name. A lot of CFB Chilliwack is still there too....although it's looking pretty sad and neglected these days. 

 

[McG]

It is a re-opening by any other name.

No.  It will not grant degrees (which the old CMR did).  It is only a slightly larger prep school with the old CMR name.  Regardless of how you look at this though, it does not introduce a requirement to re-open a base.  The base never closed.

CFB Chilliwack is closed.  Some of it is still there physically, but those empty buildings are no longer CF property.  Very little is still open there, and what is open is supporting the reserves.

 

[Brad Sallows]

>Then create one institution to do all of the above in a cost-effective manner in a bilingual environment (neither Kingston nor Toronto), associated closely with NDHQ and civilian bilingual university ressources.

Then we could acknowledge that most of the country is functionally unilingual (one way or the other) and cut costs accordingly.  Undoubtedly the consolidation of all that is bilingual in the hub of the nation would be a wise and just decision certain to strengthen the Canadian confederation.

 

[Meridian]

.  Regardless of how you look at this though, it does not introduce a requirement to re-open a base.  The base never closed.

Technically, MCG, that's not exactly accurate.

At least when I was there, DND owned the land, leased it to a NotProfit (Corporation du Fort St Jean) for 1$ and then paid the NotProfit lease and rent for the space it used.
The Surete du Quebec and other groups at least used to rent space there as well.

The Government did its best to "close it down" in order to show that they were cutting back.

 

[dapaterson]

Meridian:  Exactly.  And the Corporation Fort St Jean had (and likely still has) a lot of well-connected individuals on their board to ensure continued federal largesse flows their way - what's not to like about renting a property for $1 per year, then renting it back at considerable markup to the owner?

It might be interesting to cross-reference political donations by the Corporation and its officers with the flow of additional money to the Corporation... or am I far too cynical?

 

[Meridian]

CFSJ history, http://www.cfsj.qc.ca/A02-Historique.php

Sorry, its only in French.

Apparently though it says that in 2000, a 25 year lease was signed.

 

[McG]

Technically, MCG, that's not exactly accurate.

or rather, you are missing my use of the word "Base."  The Campus is not a Base, and even RMC depends very much of CFB Kingston for many of its services (including supply, medical, and transport).  Chilliwack has virtually nothing to support the return of its past units.  St Jean has a significant amount of infrastructure & services in place to support other large units.

• ASU St Jean
• CFLRS
• CFLDC

Additionally, reviving CMR is building on the Richelieu Squadron.  There is not an ember of the old CFB Chilliwack lodger units remaining in Chilliwack from which to restor any of them.

BTW, if you've not picked up on it, I am not attempting to argue that re-opening CMR as a CGEP college is a good idea.  I am disagreeing with the previous ridiculous assertion that because a new CMR is opening we should also re-open other old bases just for the sake of having them open.

 

[Meridian]

Seen.

Though, CFLDC and Richelieu Squadron essentially had the same shared resources;  Richelieu Squadron was technically under the command of the Commandant of CFLDC when I was there, (though I don't think it was called CFLDC?)

We did indeed use most of the services of ASU St Jean, and in some cases, Farnham.
The physical infrastructure of the Campus is, at least currently, not owned or maintained by DND either, so there isn't much outlay there... I'm still curious to see if they have applied for accreditation with the MEQ, or if they are going to continue to pay CEGEP St Jean Sur Richelieu for the priviledge of using their name and accreditation.  The more complicated thing was that the professors were actually paid by RMC and worked for Cont Ed (what is now CFLDC).

(Transcripts for all Prep Year Students don't show RMC anywhere, they show the logo and registrar's signature of CEGEP St Jean).

 

[McG]

Here is an English history of the campus which mentions the $1 per year lease.  http://www.cfsj.forces.gc.ca/index/engraph/misc/background_e.asp

 

[Meridian]

Here is an English history of the campus which mentions the $1 per year lease.  http://www.cfsj.forces.gc.ca/index/engraph/misc/background_e.asp

I particularly like how the government then further gave a grant to invest.... lots of Govnt money flowing into a place the Govnt technically doesn't control.

 

[Command-Sense-Act 105]

MCG, what did they do with the old CFOCS lines, the dining hall and OCdts mess in Chilliwack?  Are they all torn down?

 

[Teddy Ruxpin]

Nope, they're all still there.  The RCMP uses them as a training facility.  See here:

http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/learning/prtc/facilities_e.htm

 

[McG]

and another large chunk of the old CFB Chilliwack is now an educational park (much like a business park but with different universities setting up satellite campuses).
http://www.chilliwacklife.com/chilliwack/chilliwack_education_park.html