Base closures?

[ArmyRick]

Also Meaford is HIGHLY unlikely to close.

Its small yes, has only the TC and 31 Health services det on it but it actually has way more functional use than most other bases in Southern Ontario (army wise). The amount of individual, operational and collective training that goes on there is staggering. It is also a hot spot for most of Ontario police forces to train in spring and fall.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

WHOA!!  Unless the union agreed to the 48 hour gag then you are full of kife. This is Canada, free speech and all,...in case you forgot.

Back to your chair...............

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Also Meaford is HIGHLY unlikely to close.

Its small yes, has only the TC and 31 Health services det on it but it actually has way more functional use than most other bases in Southern Ontario (army wise). The amount of individual, operational and collective training that goes on there is staggering. It is also a hot spot for most of Ontario police forces to train in spring and fall.

One can hope and dream. Leave an old man some recurring fantasy in his remaining years  ;D

 

[ArmyRick]

Sorry Bruce, we actually do not have the right to free speech as far as I knew. Don't ask me where, but I had a former infantry officer now civy lawyer explain that we in Canada, don't actually have the right to free speech. Now I don't know if that was lawyer trickery or if its true.

Yes, I am back in my chair and now facing the corner in addition.

Mr Monkhouse, I'll be in for my detention when I am done work at 4 PM or 1600 HRS for army types.

On a side note, I still think I am owed 4 extra credits in high school for all the detention time I put in!!!

 

[Infanteer]

It is lawyer trickery.  Read the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  The lawyer trickery is in that thing called "interpretation"....

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

If the gag order was agreed upon BEFORE the info was handed over then the Union needs to do some deep-thinking about their credibility, but if the COC just handed over documents and THEN said "Oh, by the way", then they are the inept ones.............

...and just for the record I don't really think much of most of the Federal unions. I can't stand selling out "new guys" for the benefit of the old guard like they have.

 

[the 48th regulator]

Really?  Oh, that's right, I only belong to ASU Toronto for admin purposes. 

Meh,

We at DCSM weren't invited, we had to send our people out who had friends to get the info. 

 

[ArmyRick]

OK, on the ASU Toronto doing the right thing, I will say from my perspective it appears like it was a good intent with poor execution.

Enough of all this damn thinking and typing, I am going back to feeding pigs and sheep. Good things cows and calves are already done.

 

[GAP]

OK, on the ASU Toronto doing the right thing, I will say from my perspective it appears like it was a good intent with poor execution.

Enough of all this damn thinking and typing, I am going back to feeding pigs and sheep. Good things cows and calves are already done.

What? You mean they come precooked?

 

[Occam]

...and just for the record I don't really think much of most of the Federal unions. I can't stand selling out "new guys" for the benefit of the old guard like they have.

Speaking as one of the "new guys" out of the 172,000 unionized federal public servants, I personally don't feel sold out that I won't be getting severance if I voluntarily quit my job before retirement.  I've read that "The Treasury Board is still actively seeking an expedited agreement with the PIPSC Groups under the TB (CS, RE, SP, SH, NR, and AV). They have made it abundantly clear to our representatives that they have established the termination of our Severance Pay for voluntary departures as a pre-condition to a settlement in this round of Bargaining. According to the Treasury Board, failure to gain an agreement on this item will result in an impasse at every table (whether we expedite the bargaining process or not)".  That link also states "PSAC has said that it was motivated to accept Treasury Board’s demand to relinquish severance because it felt the government’s severance liabilities posed the threat of layoffs".

I don't have any reason to disbelieve any of the above, and in the case of my own union (IBEW), it certainly appears that TBS is adopting the same negotiation (or rather, non-negotiation) tactic by stalling arbitration over and over and over because severance is hotly contested.  Our collective agreement expired 31 August 2010.

I can't speak for the other 171,999 unionized members.  I don't know.  At least some PSAC members must have thought parting with severance was a good idea, slightly more than half voted in favour of ratifying the agreement that did away with severance.

 

[fraserdw]

Cool; nice for the troops to hear about base/det/ASU closures from the civvies (the same civvies that bargained away our severance pay at that) --- or did we somehow miss a CANFORGEN today?

I think Moncton is a fait accompli as all 23 civies are terminated and 3 of 4 units are moving to Gagetown or Kingston.  No surprise if you read between the lines.  It is a base closure without saying base closure "government speak".

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Occam,

Don't let the fact that over half voted for it sway whether it was a good deal or not, voting against it probably means a strike [or at least gives the Union the strike mandate] and one has to judge how serious the other side is. Obviously your negotiators thought that they were very serious.


I have to admit I have not read the agreement, nor do I plan too.
The OPSEU contract is done at the end of this year so I should start worrying about what Dalton wants from me to balance his spending habits.

I guess we should get back to the topic though, sorry folks for the swerve.

 

[392]

ASU Toronto had everyone, Civvy and Military, at an early morning Townhall to announce the details of the news, before it was officially released.  I am assuming the other ASUs were instructed to do the same.

Comd CTC did the same yesterday at 1530 for all mil and civ pers belonging to CTC. All of this info was briefed to the whole crowd....closures and all.....

 

[aesop081]

DGIMO did the same yesterday for units within ADM(IM).

 

[fraserdw]

;D

 

[a_majoor]

I missed any potential town halls (beng out of town), but I wonder if they are simply shutting down the ASU as opposed to the base? Getting rid of extra layers of headquarters and bureaucracy would do wonders for the balance sheet without affecting operational readiness too much.

 

[LineJumper]

I missed any potential town halls (being out of town), but I wonder if they are simply shutting down the ASU as opposed to the base? Getting rid of extra layers of headquarters and bureaucracy would do wonders for the balance sheet without affecting operational readiness too much.

Quit it, that makes too much sense.

 

[PPCLI Guy]

Five Army ASUs will be closed, and alternative arrangements will be made to support local dependancies.  In the case of the two Western ASUs, the actual facilities themselves will be maintained, by dint of some clever reassignments / divestment of older PRes Arouries / facilities.

As you can tell, I was lucky enough to be able to attend a townhall on Wednesday....

 

[dapaterson]

For those with DWAN access, all three Environments have information about their SR/DRAP initiatives.  The Army information page includes a powerpoint presentation that gives good information on the changes, including HQ changes and equipment divestments.

 

[The_Dictat]

The service battalions are going back from ASUs to the CMBGs, IT services are sent to Shared Services Canada... ASUs were loosing much of their military personnel anyway... closing them made sense. Area G4 will have more responsibilities... and civilian engineering will go under base HQs as it should be.

I never understood why they kept CFB Moncton going for so many years...

;D Most importantly are the army bases going to be called CFB or Garrisons? :-\ I want garrison as the official army base designation!!! :nod:

Let's mix tradition with common sense:

Canadian Forces Base: for bases that house multiple elements (Canadian Army, RCAF and RCN) (ie. CFB Borden, CFB Ottawa, etc)
Garrison: for installations with Canadian Army units (Tac Hel squadrons don't count) (ie Edmonton Garrison, Valcartier Garrison, Petawawa Garrison)
Camp: for training areas (Camp Meaford, Camp Farnham, etc)
RCAF Airbase: well the name says it... it must have landing strips to get the name...
RCAF or CF Station: bring back the name... for radar and radio sites

CFB Esquimalt needs a proper navy sounding name like Halifax has HMC Dockyard

Ideas?