Reg Force in BC

[Docherty]

I am not sure if this is the right category to put this into, but I am curious to know the reasons why there is no Reg. Force Army in B.C.? Does anyone know the reason behind this?

 

[Kat Stevens]

Money

CHIMO,  Kat

 

[Docherty]

That is very sad.  I would think recruiting would maybe go up if there was a base in Vancouver or Victoria does anyone agree with me?

 

[McG]

There is a base near Victoria.  It belongs to the Navy.

 

[Docherty]

Ya, Esquimalt. I went there a couple of years ago onto the Winnipeg and I was really impressed with it....but then again I don't know anything about the Navy.  There is a small garrison by UBC in Vancouver but I think it can only house 60 people.

 

[perry]

The building by UBC you talk about is 39 CBG HQ and they are the HQ for all Land Reserve units  in BC with not including the Rangers.

 

[Fruss]

Are you talking about Jericho Beach??  That's a pretty big place..  But I think it's only admin people...

Frank

 

[Docherty]

Ya, I am talking about Jericho.  It use to be  bigger but it has been getting smaller and smaller (the land is worth a lot!) but it is small, they had to get red of the messes so they just have one combined mess.

 

[McInnes]

There used to be a base at Chilliwack. Now there is just the ASU, however there are talks about converting some buildings and creating a trg centre as opposed to having just a STC in the summer.

 

[Donut]

The Jericho Garrison is home to 39 CBG HQ, 744 Comms, 12 Fd Amb, a pl of 6 Int Coy, NDQAR, a 1 Fd Amb det, 15 Fd Regimental Band, temp home of a fair number of SHOC, a MFRC, CFHA and I'm sure there are a few offices tucked away that I've forgotten.  There's single quarters, transient quarters, and quite a few PMQ's.  There is no dining mess, and we've one combined mess for the garrison.  The staff are mixed Regs and Res

Not a bad place to work, really.

BC has a significant naval presence in Victoria, but there is no significant Reg F presence on the mainland.

That answer your question?

 

[BradM]

Esquimalt is really beautifiul. Especially when the US ships come and dock. Quite the sight!

 

[casca]

Lets not forget CFB Comox a good old air base. Home of 442(SAR) Sqn, 407(MP) Sqn, as well as the SAR Tech School. It's a great place to be posted too as well as to visit.

 

[Enzo]

Esquimalt is really beautifiul. Especially when the US ships come and dock. Quite the sight!

Glad the addition of US Naval ships completes the scenic wonder that is Esquimalt. Really compliments the BC Ferries in drydock. I suppose it's a better sight that the cruise ships at Ogden Point.

 

[combat_medic]

To answer the original question of why there is no full time army presence in BC:

A while back, the base in Chilliwack was home to the Engineer Branch, the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering, the Canadian Forces Officer Candidate School (CFOCS), and supported all the army reserve units in the BC. With the extensive cuts made to the military in the '90s, it was no longer affordable to keep a lot of the bases open, so many of them were closed off and the personnel and equipment moved into other bases. Chilliwack wasn't the only victim, CFB Griesbach in Edmonton, CFB Calgary, about 3/4 of CFB Shearwater in Halifax, Saint-Hubert Garrison in Quebec, and Wolseley Barracks in London Ontario have all been acquired by Canada Lands Company. There are also plans for more closures - such as the 39 CBG HQ in Jericho, Vancouver and all the military buildings, including PMQs will, eventually, be sold off and redevelopped.

Until such a time as the CF receives enough funding to make us viable and able to sustain ourselves, no doubt such closures and acquisitions will continue.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

combat_medic - Calgary had TWO bases that were closed; CFB Harvey and CFB Calgary (aka Currie Barracks).  It was a "cost cutting" measure to take an entire armoured regiment, brigade headquarters, infantry battalion, service battalion and medical company and move them to Edmonton.

Calgary voted conservative (PC or Reform or Alliance or Conservative) while Edmonton has had at least two Liberal MPs for the past couple of elections.  Some people saw something sinister in that, I offer no judgement here.

 

[combat_medic]

Michael - I wasn't familiar with CFB Harvey, but I do remember Currie Barracks quite well. Where was Harvey located?

And yes, there's a reason it's called "Redmonton"

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Michael - I wasn't familiar with CFB Harvey, but I do remember Currie Barracks quite well. Where was Harvey located?

And yes, there's a reason it's called "Redmonton"

Harvey Barracks was kitty corner to CFB Calgary - about 5 minutes to the SW.  It was adjacent to the Training Area there, which unfortunately was only on a 100 year lease from the T'suu Tina Nation.  Once the training area was returned, apparently the rationale was that moving the troops to Edmonton would put them closer to their training base at Wainwright.  I suppose it did, but they are now further from Suffield...

 

[garb811]

Not to further hijack the thread but two CFBs were not closed in Calgary, only one.

Harvey Barracks and Currie Barracks were collectively CFB Calgary, just as in Edmonton, Griesbach and Lancaster Park were collectively CFB Edmonton and in Ottawa, Rockcliffe and Uplands were CFB Ottawa etc...

 

[SprCForr]

...Calgary voted conservative (PC or Reform or Alliance or Conservative) while Edmonton has had at least two Liberal MPs for the past couple of elections.   Some people saw something sinister in that, I offer no judgement here.

Chilliwack was grouped with that allegation as well. When 1 CER was moved to Edmonton in '96, locals were saying it was "in reward" for voting Lib. Who knows.  :-\

 

[Swin435]

Harvey Barracks was kitty corner to CFB Calgary - about 5 minutes to the SW.   It was adjacent to the Training Area there, which unfortunately was only on a 100 year lease from the T'suu Tina Nation.   Once the training area was returned, apparently the rationale was that moving the troops to Edmonton would put them closer to their training base at Wainwright.   I suppose it did, but they are now further from Suffield...

As was stated in the next responce, Harvey and Currie Barracks were both part of CFB Calgary.  The move was entirely political.  How else would you reason closing a base when the government spent lots of money building a brand new HQ for 1VP.  Yes the Strat's are further from Suffield, by about 1 1/2 hours or so; however they don't go to Suffield all that much anymore.  Especially after Canada leased the subs off of the Brits.  It costs us to much to train there now.  It's something like $9.50 / day / soldier in the training area.  (My figures are probably wrong though)

It is cost effective to have the majority of the Brigade in one location though.  In my opinion it was not the most brilliant of ideas to build all the buildings on the old runway.  They lost a great capability to fly vehicles and troops in and out of the base on a whim.  This decdecisionom what I understand was part of the deal with moving to Edmonton and with the airport.

It is a shame that we no longer have all those bases and no matter how much money any government may give us, I trutrulylieve you will never see any new bases opened.

Some of this knowledge I know first hand and other parts are hearsay...I'm an ex LdSH(RC)....this is where I got my info.  I was part of the move from Calgary to Edmonton.