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CFB Valcartier

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2nd Canadian Division Support Base Valcartier (2 CDSB Valcartier), formerly known as and commonly referred to as Canadian Forces Base Valcartier (CFB Valcartier), is a Canadian Forces base located in the municipality of Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, 8 nautical miles (15 km; 9.2 mi) north northwest[1] of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.[2][3][4] The 2nd Canadian Division is stationed at the base,[5] comprising the 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group[6] and the 2nd Canadian Division Support Group.[7]

Valcartier (W/C J.H.L. (Joe) Lecomte) Heliport

2nd Canadian Division Support Base, Valcartier

Base des Forces canadiennes Valcartier
2 CDSB Valcartier
Summary
Airport typeMilitary
OwnerGovernment of Canada
OperatorDND
LocationSaint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, Quebec
Built1914
CommanderColonel J.L.S. Ménard
Occupants2nd Canadian Division
Time zoneEST (UTC−05:00)
 • Summer (DST)EDT (UTC−04:00)
Elevation AMSL550 ft / 168 m
Coordinates46°54′10″N 071°30′13″W / 46.90278°N 71.50361°W / 46.90278; -71.50361
WebsiteOfficial website
Map
CYOY is located in Quebec
CYOY
CYOY
Location of CFB Valcartier in Quebec
CYOY is located in Canada
CYOY
CYOY
CYOY (Canada)
Map
Helipads
Number Length Surface
ft m
1 150 46 n/a

Origins

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CFB Valcartier was originally erected as a military training camp in August 1914[8][9] as part of the mobilization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force at the onset of World War I.[10]

Inaugurated by Jean Chrétien, then Prime Minister of Canada, in 1995, a 10 ft 6 in (3.2 m) high bronze figure of a World War I soldier (1995) by André Gauthier at the entrance to CFB Valcartier commemorates the training of Canadian Army volunteers for the European battlefields in World War I.[11][12]

The site was also used as an internment camp for "enemy aliens", mainly eastern Europeans.[13] The name Valcartier comes from the town of Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier,[14] of which a large section was expropriated in order to create the military training camp. Due to its proximity to the Port of Quebec, Valcartier became the largest military camp on Canadian soil, including some 32,000 men, 8,000 horses, and one black bear[15][16]

In 1968, after the unification of the Canadian Armed Forces, the title 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group was assigned to the brigade group established in CFB Valcartier.[17]

Geography

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The base is 12 by 24 km (7.5 by 14.9 mi)[18] and is located in the Quebec City region, of Quebec, Canada.[2]

Military presence

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Currently, Valcartier is home to the 2nd Canadian Division. The division has two formations: 2nd Canadian Division Support Group (2 CDSG) and 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (5 CMBG).[5]

The following units are stationed at Valcartier. Included are affiliated units and other units that are not directly part of 2nd Canadian Division:[6][18]

The base also houses 430 Tactical Helicopter Squadron,[20] CI SQFT[21] (Land Force Quebec Area Training Centre), in addition to providing training facilities for most Quebec-based reserve units. The Myriam Bédard Biathlon Training Centre is also located on the base.[22]

CFB Valcartier is also home to a Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) location, which conducts military research for the Canadian Armed Forces.[23]

Cadets

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Map of the base

2 CDSB Valcartier is also the home of the Army Cadet Summer Training Centre Valcartier, which trains Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, Royal Canadian Army Cadets and Royal Canadian Air Cadets of the Eastern Region / Province of Quebec.[24] In July 1974, an explosives safety training accident involving "D" Company killed six cadets and injured over 50. A coroner's inquiry found the instructor criminally responsible.[25][26]

The various summer training courses offered at Valcartier Cadet Training Centre are the following:

  • Two Week General Training Course offered to Army Cadets only, within JACQUES-CARTIER Company;
  • Basic Fitness and Sports course offered to Sea, Army and Air cadets, within OLYMPUS Company;
  • Fitness and Sports Instructor course offered to Sea, Army and Air cadets, within OLYMPUS Company;
  • Basic Expedition course offered only to Army cadets, within EVEREST Company;
  • Expedition Instructor course offered only to Army cadets, within EVEREST Company;
  • Basic Marksmanship Course offered only to Army cadets, within ENFIELD Company;
  • Air Rifle Masksmanship Instructor Course offered to Sea, Army and Air cadets within ENFIELD Company;
  • Basic Drill and Ceremonial Course offered to Sea, Army and Air cadets within TRIUMPH Company;
  • Drill and Ceremonial Instructor Course offered to Sea, Army and Air cadets within TRIUMPH Company;
  • And all three military musician courses, offered to Sea, Army and Air Cadets within CALIXA-LAVALLÉE Company.

Command team

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Colonel J.L.S. Ménard is commander, and Chief Warrant Officer Éric Normand is sergeant major.[5]

100th anniversary

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In 2014, CFB Valcartier celebrated its 100th anniversary. David Johnston, then Governor General of Canada, offered a message about the role the base and its soldiers who have played in the history of Canada. Prime minister Stephen Harper also thanked the soldiers.[8][27][28]

CFB Valcartier newspaper

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Adsum is a monthly newspaper for CFB Valcartier and the military community in the Quebec eastern area. The newspaper was created in 1972. It publishes 4,200 copies. The readers of the newspaper are mostly the military (active and retired) and civilians working at CFB Valcartier. The newspaper team also publishes the Military Community Guidebook - Quebec Region annually.[29][30]

Saint Jeanne d’Arc Chapel

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The Military Ordinariate of Canada integrated a chapel which is situated at CFB Valcartier.[31] The chapel is named Saint Jeanne d’Arc Chapel.[32] This service is for all military persons of CFB Valcartier.[33] The Chapel Life Coordinator is Captain Titus Ndala.[32]

Military Cemetery

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CFB Valcartier Military Cemetery, opened to serve the camp in 1914, contains the graves of nine Canadian Army personnel, six from World War I and three from World War II, registered and maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.[34]

Economic facts

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  • CFB Valcartier's budget is $687.4 million annually. The base employs 7,700 people (6,200 military and 1,500 civilians). There are also 9,000 military reserve forces who are related to the base. Annually, the salary costs are $558 million. This sum represents half of the $1.2 billion spent on salaries by the Department of National Defence in Quebec each year. Also, the base spends $131 million locally each year.[18][35][36]

Contaminated water

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In 1997, a cancer-causing chemical, trichloroethylene, was found in the water supply of CFB Valcartier and the nearby town of Shannon, Quebec. Trichloroethylene, which has been linked to liver cancer, was used for degreasing metal parts at the base for decades. The Shannon Citizens Committee (Regroupement des Citoyens de Shannon) launched a class-action lawsuit against the Department of National Defence in 2003.[37][38][39][40]

References

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  1. ^ a b Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 16 July 2020 to 0901Z 10 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b Base militaire Valcartier
  3. ^ "Capitale-Nationale" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 October 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  4. ^ Centre Castor - Base militaire de Valcartier
  5. ^ a b c "Canadian Forces Base Valcartier". Canadian Army. Government of Canada (National Defence). 25 February 2013. Archived from the original on 28 August 2019.
  6. ^ a b "5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group". Archived from the original on 13 March 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  7. ^ 2nd Canadian Division Support Group
  8. ^ a b The Valcartier tour de force
  9. ^ 8 septembre 1914: le Camp Valcartier plein à craquer
  10. ^ History of 5 CMBG Archived 2 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ The Birchall Leadership Award
  12. ^ Base militaire de Valcartier, Québec
  13. ^ Camps d’internement au Canada: un fonds pour se souvenir
  14. ^ A Bit of History
  15. ^ "The real-life Canadian story of Winnie-the-Pooh". The real-life Canadian story of Winnie-the-Pooh. 17 January 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  16. ^ Bears as Mascots? by Win, Winnipeg, Manitoba
  17. ^ Integration and Unification of the Canadian Armed Forces:7 July 1964 – 1 Feb 1968
  18. ^ a b c Guide de la communauté militair e militaire Military Community Guidebook
  19. ^ 1 Dental Unit Detachment
  20. ^ 430 Tactical Helicopter Squadron
  21. ^ 2 Cdn Div TC - Staff
  22. ^ Myriam Bédard Biathlon Centre
  23. ^ Defence Research and Development Canada research centres
  24. ^ About the Cadet Summer Training Centre
  25. ^ Coroner's inquest found 'a climate of negligence'
  26. ^ Mort de six cadets à Valcartier en 1974: des cicatrices encore vives
  27. ^ Message from the Governor General of Canada on the Occasion of the 100th Anniversary of CFB Valcartier
  28. ^ Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on the 100th anniversary of CFB Valcartier
  29. ^ About us
  30. ^ Base Valcartier expresses its solidarity with the Muslim community of Quebec City a second time
  31. ^ Military Ordinariate of Canada
  32. ^ a b Saint Jeanne d’Arc Chapel (Valcartier)
  33. ^ Military Ordinariate of Canada About Us
  34. ^ "CFB Valcartier Military Cemetery, with list of casualties". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  35. ^ Base militaire de Valcartier : Des retombées méconnues
  36. ^ Valcartier, une force économique
  37. ^ ICI.Radio-Canada.ca, Zone Société - (7 December 2017). "Eau contaminée : les résidents de Shannon ne perdent pas espoir". Radio-Canada.ca (in Canadian French). Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  38. ^ Recours collectif à Shannon: «on s'en va probablement vers une 18e année»
  39. ^ DND denies blame for cancer in Shannon, Que.
  40. ^ Residents say Canadian Forces to blame for 'cancer crisis'
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  Media related to CFB Valcartier at Wikimedia Commons

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