Federal government pledges $1.4 billion to revitalize Dwyer Hill Training Centre

$1.4 Billion to revitalize JTF 2 The Defence Minister announces major investment to revitalize the local facility where elite forces train. CTV's Leah Larocque reports.

The federal government will spend $1.4 billion to revitalize Ottawa's Dwyer Hill Training Centre, the home of Joint Task Force 2, the Canadian Armed Forces' elite special operations force.

Defence Minister Anita Anand made the announcement at the Department of National Defence headquarters on Tuesday morning.

"This is the first major refresh of Dwyer Hill since the Canadian Armed Forces acquired these facilities in 1993," she said.

The money, to be spent over the next 10 years, will replace the facility's 89 aging buildings with 23 "modern, reliable, state-of-the-art" new ones, Anand said. Existing facilities will also be renovated.

The Dwyer Hill Training Centre is about 50 kilometres southwest of downtown Ottawa. It has been home to JTF2 since the elite unit known for its counter-terrorism operations was created in 1993.

"All in all, this investment will provide more than 100,000 square metres of space so that our special operations forces can train to excel in the jobs that we ask of them," Anand said.

The revitalization project will also create 2,000 jobs in the Ottawa region, she said.

President of the Treasury Board and local MP Mona Fortier says the investment will create "large scale economic opportunities for the local economy" and "create thousands of new, good-paying jobs right here in Ottawa."

The government says as many as 250 to 300 people could be working on site during peak construction periods.

Construction is expected to begin in May and continue until 2033.

David Brown is the local councillor for the area that includes Dwyer Hill Training facility. Brown calls in investment "absolutely tremendous."

"This will bring a lot of stability to the area, and with JTF2 members and their families living around the base, this certainly provides a lot of stability for their families," he said.

Brown also said the job creation will help spur the local rural economy. "The one very important part is much of this funding is going to be targeted to small firms to ensure that small companies can participate, and that is very important certainly for rural Ottawa as well as businesses Ottawa wide."

There will also be an emphasis on Indigenous businesses.

The facility was purchased in 1993, but there were discussion about moving the training base to Trenton, Ont. Brown says this investment helps secure its future in Ottawa.

"All of the families that are associated with the members that work at the Dwyer Hill facility training base will have that stable family life and stable home life and hopefully that will add to the community’s benefit over the decade," said Brown. "The other benefit that I see is the knock-off benefit that we see from so many construction projects because it brings employees, contractors and construction folks and that will hopeful see some increase business for the local restaurants and retailers in the rural part of Ottawa."

The new facility will also aim to be carbon-neutral and environmentally friendly.

NEARBY RESIDENTS REACT

Residents who live near the facility say living nearby hasn't been a problem for them.

The Dwyer Hill Training Centre is in somewhat of an isolated area but directly next to it is an estate-home community.

Andrea and Miro Kobzik have lived next to the training centre for about 12 years.

“Sometimes we hear helicopters, sometimes some explosion - but mostly it’s not too loud,” says Andrea.

Overall, the couple says the noise is not that bad.

“It bothers us in the summer when we want to sit in the backyard and enjoy the pool and they start practicing landing and taking off the helicopter, but it doesn’t happen too often,” says Andrea.

Hearing of the $1.4-billion refresh to the facility, Andrea says she’s surprised.

“I’m surprised because when we came here, we were hearing they were going to close and in a few years we realized that instead of closing, it’s growing."

Their neighbourhood is called Heron Lake Estates, it’s located directly east of the training centre.

“For someone who comes from a military family, and my late wife as well, it’s kind of rewarding,” says resident Dale Thompson.

“We have, and it’s very rare among relationships between the civil population and the military, an agreement; for example, they don’t overfly us, even though we’re less than 400, 500 metres,” he said, while pointing to the facility from his backyard.

Many residents tell CTV News there is regular communication.

“They’ve been accommodating. When we’ve had concerns about their operation, they’re usually very good about adjusting noise levels or whatever the case may be,” says Paul St. Denis.

One resident, who did not want to be identified, told CTV News Ottawa they had concerns about drainage and ground water — homes in the neighbourhood are on well water, according to residents.

“What’s important to me is that the Dwyer Hill Compound, the national defence, continue to be active listeners to community concerns and perspectives,” says Stephen Tierney, Heron Lake Estates Community Association President.

He says the key issues are health, safety, and quality of water; respecting noise levels; and respecting and adhering to an existing memorandum of understanding between residents and the facility.

“On a personal stand-point, as an Indigenous man, I find that this is an incredible opportunity, during this infrastructure project to have a significant monument or signage acknowledging that this work is taking place on unceded Algonquin Territory,” he says.

--with files from CTV News Ottawa's Leah Larocque and Peter Szperling.