National Defence buys another B.C. apartment building for $19M

The property, located at 574 Cumberland Rd. in Courtenay, B.C., will be jointly managed by CFB Comox and the Canadian Forces Housing Agency. (Handout)

The Department of National Defence says its latest purchase of a 52-unit apartment building on Vancouver Island will help alleviate a shortage of housing for military members at Canadian Forces Base Comox.

The $19.1-million acquisition, announced Wednesday, represents the department’s second rental housing purchase under a new initiative revealed earlier this year when the military bought an apartment complex near Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt.

National Defence says the latest acquisition was completed under a multi-department approach that reduced the transaction’s processing time from one or two years to just 12 weeks.

The property, located at 574 Cumberland Rd. in Courtenay, will be jointly managed by CFB Comox and the Canadian Forces Housing Agency.

“We are committed to making housing a reliable foundation for serving with pride and professionalism,” National Defence Minister David McGuinty said in a statement Wednesday.

“Through decisive and accountable action, we are delivering improved homes and living conditions—today and for the future,” he added.

The Comox base is undergoing a significant expansion in the coming decade, putting added strain on a region already short on housing.

“Current accommodations are at full capacity with persistent waitlists,” base commander Col. Christopher Shapka said in a statement. “This purchase provides a creative, local, and immediate solution to help reduce that demand.”

Last year, the federal government’s updated National Defence policy allocated $2 billion to establish the Canadian Armed Forces Housing Strategy to build and renovate housing for CAF members over the next 20 years.

As part of the plan, the department awarded a contract in August 2024 to design a new, 480-unit housing complex on CFB Esquimalt.

The new highrise is expected to replace the base’s aging Nelles Block dormitory, which was built in the early 1950s and will be demolished once construction is complete in the early 2030s.

Construction services firm EllisDon was awarded the $10-million design contract for the on-base project, while National Defence estimated the total cost to complete the facility at $165 million.

In October, the military announced the purchase of a four-storey, 37-unit apartment building near CFB Esquimalt for $23.3 million. The building is expected to welcome Canadian Armed Forces members working at the Victoria-area military base starting in January 2026.