'It's time to consolidate NDHQ' & 'DND to take-over Nortel Campus' (Merged threads)

[Occam]

ADM (Mat) will be consolidating mostly at LSTL in Gatineau. Parking there is cheaper than in Ottawa, buses depending on where you are communting from can be a pain.  Regardless, if you are in Ottawa, the bridges can sometimes be an issue.

There's some consolidation going on at LStL, but it's still only going to be DGMEPM/DGAEPM/DGLEPM.  Much of the remainder of of ADM(Mat) will still be spread out over hell's creation the NCR.

Wookilar, unless you have a particular position number, you're going to need a crystal ball to figure out what site you'll be at, unfortunately.

 

[Wookilar]

... you're going to need a crystal ball to figure out what site you'll be at, unfortunately.

I have one, but the darn thing hazes over anytime I scry into the Ottawa valley  ;D. Must be a google maps filter or something ???

Thanks, figured I was trying to look too far out just yet.

Wook

 

[CountDC]

even a position number won't help as there is no garuntee you will be employed in it once you arrive at the unit.  I was supposed to be at Uplands when I was posted to Ottawa and ended up at Pearkes instead.  My next posting was supposed to be in LSTL but I stayed at Peakes.  Same with my current - another building but stayed at Pearkes.

Best to contact the unit and find out where they will actually be putting you, if that position is on the list to be moved (athough that can change) and if it is when is it slated to move.

 

[McG]

Looks like this move will pay for itself within a few years.

[size=12pt]DND saves $50M with office move ....

Story text removed in accordance with site owner direction

Milnet.ca Staff

 

[bridges]

This topic flares up from time to time in our org.  The scuttlebutt I'm hearing in the last couple of days is that TB has advised DND to revise its expectations in terms of the cost of the refit.  I believe the exact phrase was "We bought it for you, but we're not going to make it fancy."  Those looking to the move as a chance to finally have certain accns requirements met may be disappointed.

As well, in at least one org's case, the cubicle spaces have been counted up & found to be fewer than the # of people designated for moving there - so the consolidation may not be as extensive as originally thought. 

The hazy crystal ball continues.  I think we need a smiley for that... 

 

[medicineman]

As well, in at least one org's case, the cubicle spaces have been counted up & found to be fewer than the # of people designated for moving there - so the consolidation may not be as extensive as originally thought. 

Couldn't possibly be because there might be fewer cubicle dwellers with the consolidation...some of which aren't yet aware that they're being evicted?

MM

 

[bridges]

Couldn't possibly be because there might be fewer cubicle dwellers with the consolidation...some of which aren't yet aware that they're being evicted?

If that were the case, the org in question wouldn't now be trying to decide which of its components will NOT move to the new building.   

Personally, I'm curious about (among many other things) how OC Transpo will adapt, once the site starts getting filled up.  Those pokey buses going from Moodie to Lincoln Fields aren't going to cut it.  They'll need some bigger Park & Ride lots too. 

 

[Snakedoc]

Did a search and didn't find a more recent thread.  Looks like more delays and potential cost overruns.  Can DND get anything right in the procurement/project management world?  ???

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/dnd-may-abandon-1b-move-to-former-nortel-site-because-of-surveillance-bugs-1.1477766

DND may abandon $1B move to former Nortel site because of surveillance bugs

CTVNews.ca Staff
Published Monday, September 30, 2013 10:09PM EDT
Last Updated Monday, September 30, 2013 11:23PM EDT

The Department of National Defence may not move into its new headquarters at a former Nortel Networks complex because the building is riddled with eavesdropping devices.
DND told CTV News it may abandon the move, and sources said it’s unlikely any other department would take over the former Nortel site because of the security risks.
Former Nortel employees allege the company was the target of Chinese espionage for nearly a decade.

Keith Murphy, CEO of the information security company Defence Intelligence, said it’s not a suitable home for DND.
“It seems an odd choice to choose to move an organization of that nature into a site that you know was compromised and a victim of espionage,” he told CTV News.
DND won’t discuss the security risk at the former Nortel campus, but said it takes the threat seriously.
The Conservative government has already set aside approximately $1 billion for its plan to move DND to the new headquarters.

“Spending $1 billion on a new headquarters, even if it’s state-of-the-art -- and of course, it isn’t -- is a really bad idea,” said retired lieutenant-general Andrew Leslie.
Documents obtained by the Ottawa Citizen show that then-Defence Minister Peter MacKay was warned about the security threat last year.
MacKay was informed in a briefing note that the costs to relocate could be substantially more than the $1 billion earmarked by Ottawa.

“This not only raises the level of difficulty of verifying appropriate security safeguards in the future, it will probably dramatically increase security costs and cause delays to reach full operational capability,” MacKay was told last year.

The briefing note was obtained by the Ottawa Citizen through an Access to Information request.
“I don’t think we should go forward without certainty that there will be a secure facility for the operations of the Canadian Forces,” said NDP defence critic Jack Harris.

 

[McG]

This is unfortunate.  We waste a lot of salary in time spent on shuttles moving between locations.

We also miss a lot of opportunities to coordinate/work-balance because people don't make the effort to know NDHQ beyond what is in their building.  Instead, I have seen offices build positions to duplicate work that is already done by another staff.

Maybe we bulldoze Nortel and build a Heptagon (more sides has to be better than the Pentagon, right?)

 

[Edward Campbell]

This is unfortunate.  We waste a lot of salary in time spent on shuttles moving between locations.

We also miss a lot of opportunities to coordinate/work-balance because people don't make the effort to know NDHQ beyond what is in their building.  Instead, I have seen offices build positions to duplicate work that is already done by another staff.

Maybe we bulldoze Nortel and build a Heptagon (more sides has to be better than the Pentagon, right?)

But it was never going to be a proper consolidation, even though the Nortel is, I believe, more than big enough for that. It was already a "given" that the presence in Hull would remain and I heard ~ not confirmed ~ that both 101 Colonel By Drive and the Startop Road site were being retained. Such a big, costly ($1 Billion?) move only makes sense if consolidation is about 90%+ complete.

The Nortel campus is a wonderful asset, but ...

    1. It needs vastly upgraded public transit which is not, currently, part of the City of Ottawa plan; and

    2. It is, possibly, not the ideal location for an agency with high security requirements. In some respects a fairly tight 'scatter' of buildings, most with 100% DND occupancy, in one area might a better idea from a security perspective.

 

[ARMY_101]

When I first heard of the move, the date was set at Christmas 2012. Then it was Christmas 2013.

... Now, after speaking with a Command CWO, it's pushed back to at least late 2017-2018 (go big or go home right?). His thinking was it was better to stop under-estimating the timeline and put everyone at ease for the time being, instead of being in perma-"we're moving in six months" status.

However, we should be given at least a year's notice so those affected can plan on buying homes in Kanata, sell their houses in Cornwall, etc.

They've also already canvassed various departments for their requirements: a few weeks ago they were counting cubicles, asking about preferred parking spaces (underground, above ground, handicapped, etc).

 

[vonGarvin]

No wonder we can't win wars: we can't even figure out where to put our NDHQ....


:not-again:

 

[Journeyman]

.....we can't even figure out where to put our NDHQ....

Are they taking suggestions?    >

 

[Edward Campbell]

No wonder we can't win wars: we can't even figure out where to put our NDHQ....


:not-again:

The 11th Principle of War: always site your CP as far away from the next higher HQ as possible.

 

[a_majoor]

And now the move may be stopped or abandoned as listening devices have been found seeded on the Nortel Campus. The reports are unclear (there are suggestions they may have been part of a Chinese industrial espionage effort against Nortel back in the 1990's), but nothing official has been released.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Shilo, Wainwright, Suffield or how about the Arctic?

 

[Remius]

Likely scenario is some other government agencies/ministries with smaller less intense security needs will go there.  Several will consolidate there but not us. 

 

[vonGarvin]

The 11th Principle of War: always site your CP as far away from the next higher HQ as possible.

:rofl:

 

[ARMY_101]

Why they don't use Uplands, 45+ acres DND has already been leasing from the Crown for $1 a year for the past 50 years, I'll never understand.

 

[PuckChaser]

Why they don't use Uplands, 45+ acres DND has already been leasing from the Crown for $1 a year for the past 50 years, I'll never understand.

Its almost a billion dollars just to wire the campus and set everything up. Now add another couple hundred million to build buildings that are similar in size to the Nortel campus and you'll get your answer.