CFHA Residential Housing Unit (RHU)-old PMQ [MERGED]

[armyvern]

From what I read so far... Petawawa's Q's are really horrible. SO horrible that they are used as the "bad example"? Wow, I was actually hoping I could get posted there. Now I'm going to have to pull an unholy amount of cash out of my @ss to buy a place somewere.   :'(

Well, I've lived in Qs in Pet for awhile and visited Qs in Trenton....and Trenton's were really horrendous, and if I had to I'd take one from Pet over the ones in Trenton anyday. At least in Pet they were starting to renovate them with insulation, siding and new windows.  

 

[garb811]

thank god they didn't sell off the campus when they closed down CMR.

Err...we didn't sell it but we did lease it out for $1/year for 25 years starting in Aug 00.  We're now renting the current space we use back at $45 mil over 5 years, starting in '01, with services provided. Once we up the occupancy rate and become committed to being there, I'm sure the Corporation will seek to make the most of the financial opportunity during the negotiations for the next 5 years.

Really good news is the Corporation that controls the place rents out facilities to any and all so it can make for some interesting times if you're in-house on course and don't leave on the weekends.  Great place to be if you enjoy crashing weddings as there is a pretty good shot that's the only way you'll get into your mess on some weekends.

Background of the Campus St Jean

 

[Bloggins]

I am not sure but isn't the tap water in Oakville not potable? Allot of regular force pers that get posted to the GTA are quartered in Oakville. Why anyone would want an ancient falling apart hand me down from good old Capt Canuck is beyond me. And this is Oakville we are talking about. If the Army sold it at market value soldiers else where could stand a shot for a decent set of quarters. No one ever thinks that the army should simply be allocated un-used land from other Govt departments so why would the army be expected to just hand something over? The author of the article may wish to keep his ear to the ground for more news worthy issues.

Cheers.

 

[x-zipperhead]

OK,   I am sorry, I don't mean to offend anyone who likes living in PMQs, but

Are YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND???????????????????????????????????????

I lived for two years in the North Side PMQ slums in Pet. It was gross. It's cheaper to buy. Hello!??? You don't have to be ghetto!!!! What is up people? General Lake PS and General Panet HS are where you send your kids if you just don't care. Check the provincial standards.  


GET out of the Qs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(ok, I do mean to offed. Get your butt out of the Qs!)

I'm curious, if you feel people are stupid or lazy ( I'm not sure which it was you were implying ) for living in PMQ's, why is it you lived in one for two years?

I spent 8 years in Pet.  2 in single qtrs, 2 in Q's and 4 in my own house.  I left Pet in 03 and it seems to me you are greatly exagerating the state of the Q's and the schools.  I have to agree with Old Ranger that any home is what you make it.

Everybody has different circumstances and for some a PMQ makes sense ( maybe they are on IR, or expect the posting to be a short one,  personal finacial situation, or maybe they just choose to live there ) .

Q's aren't for you? great, me either, but you don't need to be offensive.

 

[sig_cs101]

i'de have to agree, Q's aren't for everybody. i'de say if you have to option to live somewhere else do it. if not deal with it

 

[Armymedic]

I was under the understanding that the PMQs in Oakville were dedicated to housing the Staff and Students of the Staff Schools and Staff Colleges located in the Metro area.   I am sure that there are times when there may a large number of vacancies and times when they will be fully occupied, depending on what Crses are in House.   In my opinion, someone was having a "Slow Press Day" and as usual any anti-military subject makes a good filler in the TO area.

OK, so that is why they have Q's in Oakville. That makes sense why they are mostly empty, and why they must be kept. I would have thunk they had Q's in the Downsview area for Staff College.

 

[George Wallace]

OK, so that is why they have Q's in Oakville. That makes sense why they are mostly empty, and why they must be kept. I would have thunk they had Q's in the Downsview area for Staff College.

Remnants of an Old Base in Oakville.   Downsview was full of 'worker Bees' for Downsview and area. Gives the Senior Officers on Crse a better environment to live.   Who knows the logic.   Probably cheaper than putting them all up in Luxury Condos and Penthouses in TO.

 

[North]

Well, If you love the Qs, I wish you well.

But Mold, leaks, asbestos? Not my kind of home.

The schools. I still have the results from my child's grade 3 EQAO testing. Not up to my standards, or the government's.

Having your child sit and watch Military Police running around with guns drawn because your neighbor has barricaded himself in his house, then proceeds to blow his head off? Just not a good scenario in my opinion.

Your kids coming home from school saying 'Mommy, everyone else's mom goes to the bar Friday night and the dad's stay home. Why don't you?' In my opinion, just gross.

The guy in charge of base housing telling me it is only supposed to be a temporary accommodation situation. I dunno, you tell me...


Just MHO. It's not the best you can do.


BTW, I now live in a lovely home in a mixed neighbourhood. I am paying down a mortgage quickly and paying much less a month for 4 bedroom home than I was for a 3 bedroom Q.


Good luck to you all. If you are happy in your surrounding, that's great.

 

[aesop081]

Well, If you love the Qs, I wish you well.

But Mold, leaks, asbestos? Not my kind of home.

The schools. I still have the results from my child's grade 3 EQAO testing. Not up to my standards, or the government's.

Having your child sit and watch Military Police running around with guns drawn because your neighbor has barricaded himself in his house, then proceeds to blow his head off? Just not a good scenario in my opinion.

Your kids coming home from school saying 'Mommy, everyone else's mom goes to the bar Friday night and the dad's stay home. Why don't you?' In my opinion, just gross.

The guy in charge of base housing telling me it is only supposed to be a temporary accommodation situation. I dunno, you tell me...


Just MHO. It's not the best you can do.


BTW, I now live in a lovely home in a mixed neighbourhood. I am paying down a mortgage quickly and paying much less a month for 4 bedroom home than I was for a 3 bedroom Q.


Good luck to you all. If you are happy in your surrounding, that's great.

You're an ***** !!

I live a few years in the PMQs at 2 different bases, made some good freinds, never saw the MPs with guns drawn, never seen anyone blow their heads off.   In the civy neighbourhoods i have lived in....mom' s go to the bar on fridays too....

Shake you freakin' head ...

 

[SHELLDRAKE!!]

A friend of mine was posted to Edmonton last summer and bought a home in St. Albert. Just yesterday while he was at work, his kids at school and the wife out job hunting, some kids high on crystal meth broke in, stole all the electronics and smashed everything else. The husband is shortly going on tour only to leave his familly in the same house.

My advice to the wife was to rent out the house and try to get a PMQ. Why you may ask? The military community is a far sight safer than the big city. You can trust your neighbors, walk the street at night, the rent is inexpensive(comparatively) and theres always a support group around for the wife and kids.

I lived in q's for 8 years and hated the fact that there was usually a rent increase and maintenance was a problem but to most people the q's can be a godsend. If we as the CF keep b****ing about it, we will most likely lose all base housing.

 

[GO!!!]

The q's are not a bad deal in a market like Edmonton. You live within walking distance of work, the necessities are all there, and it is safe.
When was the last home invasion in LP? How about a shooting?

Sure there is the usual crap like kids breaking into your car for the change in the ashtray, and the usual retarded antics of the MPs. But at the end of the day, the only downside of the PMQs is that you are not building equity in a property you own, or getting the benefits of an appreciating property. With proper saving this should'nt be such a big deal though.

For the same price as a PMQ, in Edmonton you can get a crack shack in a $hit part of town and fix it up (like I did) or a small townhouse/condo. Not really attractive alternatives if you have a few kids, compared to a safe community like Lancaster Park.

So bash the PMQ's if you want, but I would have had a very hard time saving for a down payment if they had'nt been there.

In my experience, if someone was'nt complaining about the empty houses, they would be complaining that the military families there were "unfairly subsidised" or "lacking in diversity" or that there were civvies in them when they should have been reserved for families.

Besides, this bi*** was a realtor! Did she just give houses to welfare families when she was working? Or did she skim a commission off of the equity of every working couple she could when they tried to realise the value of their investments? How many welfare families are in her basement? I'd like to see some evidence of her generosity before she hands over a soldiers house.

 

[Wingman]

I have lived with my family in the Q's for 2 years after having owned my own houses for over 15 years and my experiences have been nothing but postive.  I lived in Saint-Hubert and had great neighbours and a quiet neighbourhood with good schools there.  I am in Kingston now with the same results.  Great neighbours and good schools but a little on the pricey side with poor PLD (I can't figure out how the big heads in Ottawa figure it out but I'm not a Stonecutter).  The MPs here are good, they do their job and stop the idiots with their souped-up Civics going 60 through the school zone but isn't that their job?  IMO, this is much better deal than a $250,000 mouse-house where your yard is smaller than a mod tent in suburbia hell.

The base comd here has periodic open meetings so mil pers and thier spouses can go and ask questions.  The PMQ area is clean and safe with a very good family resource centre.  My PMQ is in good shape for its age and is in better shape than most of the houses I bought previous to joining.  There is a high vacancy rate here but that is largely due to the low interest rates; if they went up the vacancy rate would most likely go down.

If you live in a crappy area then maybe you should take the initiative to change it.  Get involved.  And what is a mixed neighbourhood and why is it important that you point this out?  Its obviously some PC term and my PC reference book is on order.           

 

[Armymedic]

You're an ***** !!

I live a few years in the PMQs at 2 different bases, made some good freinds, never saw the MPs with guns drawn, never seen anyone blow their heads off.   In the civy neighbourhoods i have lived in....mom' s go to the bar on fridays too....

Shake you freakin' head ...

I concur, and I live in Petawawa. In PMQ's.

Thanks for your opinion, now just sum up.

 

[GO!!!]

I have lived with my family in the Q's for 2 years after having owned my own houses for over 15 years and my experiences have been nothing but postive.   I lived in Saint-Hubert and had great neighbours and a quiet neighbourhood with good schools there.   I am in Kingston now with the same results.   Great neighbours and good schools but a little on the pricey side with poor PLD (I can't figure out how the big heads in Ottawa figure it out but I'm not a Stonecutter).   The MPs here are good, they do their job and stop the idiots with their souped-up Civics going 60 through the school zone but isn't that their job?   IMO, this is much better deal than a $250,000 mouse-house where your yard is smaller than a mod tent in suburbia heck.

The base comd here has periodic open meetings so mil pers and thier spouses can go and ask questions.   The PMQ area is clean and safe with a very good family resource centre.   My PMQ is in good shape for its age and is in better shape than most of the houses I bought previous to joining.   There is a high vacancy rate here but that is largely due to the low interest rates; if they went up the vacancy rate would most likely go down.

If you live in a crappy area then maybe you should take the initiative to change it.   Get involved.   And what is a mixed neighbourhood and why is it important that you point this out?   Its obviously some PC term and my PC reference book is on order.              

Yes...initiative - like fixing up my house and selling it for a tidy profit - which is what I'm doing. That was the idea from the start - I am happy with my choice. My definition of "getting involved" involves the mysterious dissapearance of the street criminals - and someone is taking care of that in Edmonton right now!

I believe (I may be wrong) that a "mixed" neighborhood is one where "working class and white collar families live in harmony" You'll have to ask whoever said it.

 

[Griswald DME]

I wholeheartedly agree with those who say go for a house.  PMQ's are a waste of money, even if you are happy with the one you are living in.  I purchased a house in Edmonton when I was in the reserves there.  I paid $28K and it is now worth over 100 thousand dollars.  I rent it out and after paying the mortgage (I had the house appraised and ran another mortgage on it after paying the house off so I could afford a place in Vancouver), taxes and any repairs I make a few hundred a month off the house.  Its great.  I've done that in Vancouver as well, and where I am currently posted I plan to keep the house and rent it out as well.

In the end I will retire with a huge income and become a major slumlord and move to mexico, meet some senorita there, drink a few tequila's, hole up in a nice hotel until the good lord taketh me away....    Ok ok maybe my wife won't like the senorita deal and tequila makes me sick... but you get the point.  If you can do it, buy a house. As another poster mentioned, the CF pays for everything so take advantage of it.  Plus if you buy a large house in town or near a college you can rent a basement suite out to help out with the mortgage.

IAW

Just say no to PMQs!

DME

 

[Springroll]

My uncle and his wife just purchase 161 acres of land with a cottage on it, about an hour north of Edmonton, for $42,000...if you can afford to buy now, then buy. Don't waste the money on a POS PMQ

 

[GunnersGirl]

:argument:

sometimes I just like to watch these things to see where they are going...this time I am actually going to come out of lurk mode because I have something to add to this conversation....

My family will be moving into the PMQ's in Petawawa next week. It is our first posting.  We have 5 children, 4 of whom are homeschooled for the time being. One of the most important things the children have learned this year is that you must make the most with what you have, as we have been downsizing - substantially -  in preparation for our move. The kids are NOT saying, "I have BIGGER toys and BETTER toys than other kids" or "I need BIGGER and BETTER toys because the ones I have are not good enough..." they are PLAYING with their toys. Go figure. Maybe some adults could learn a thing or two from them? Be thankful for what you have and don't be one of the many jerks in the world that are under the mistaken perception that the sum of the things you own determine your value as a person...

I do not YET live in a PMQ. I wonder if some day after many postings I will complain about the state of them, instead of being thankful that the cost of the move is not coming out of my pocket and the landlord actually takes care of the place.(perhaps I am just misinformed, but does the military NOT make certain these homes are well-maintained?) I am glad to not have to worry about one MORE thing that has to be done to our "fixer upper".

(Incidentally, I would LOVE to own a home, but even though the place we rent now is not in the "ritzy" part of town, and there is a hole in the bathroom floor, and the neighbours are rude and loud...and... and .... and ... etc etc etc...it is clean, and safe, and HOME.)

~scully~

looking forward to our first posting to CFB Petawawa...in the FABULOUS, WELL-MAINTAINED PMQ'S! :nana: :nana:

 

[AoD71]

How is the home-schooling working out? I imagine it works well since most of your kids are doing that. I want my sister to be home-schooled, cuz the teachers at her school are freaking horrible. They hand out work for the night, and check it the next day and thats all they do. Most of the things my sister is trying to do for homework she hasn't even seen before (I know because I am the one teaching her). I don't want to see the system fail another potentially brilliant mind.

 

[Tracker 23A]

I was hoping if someone could give me a good idea of what the housing market is like for those who get posted to Shilo.

I am in Gagetown right now, but I am planning (just in case, and not yet confirmed) on moving to Shilo if Edmonton doesn't work out for me.

Looking for any info on new homes and any new developments.  And if push comes to shove, what the PMQ situation is like.

Thanks in advance.

must remember to watch spelling, Shilo not Shile.

[Mike: Corrected title spelling to help future searches.]

 

[Blakey]

Google:
Brandon Real Estate Board
http://www.breb.mb.ca/