Ottawa Construction News staff writer
The federal government has announced a $1.4-billion infrastructure project to upgrade special operations forces’ facilities at the Dwyer Hill Training Centre in Ottawa.
It’s expected to be a 10-year construction project, creating 100,000 sq. m. of purpose-built space to meet JTF 2’s long-term growth, training, and high-readiness operational needs.
Work includes:
- replacing 89 aging and temporary structures with 23 new facilities
- renovating seven buildings
- upgrading utilities
The construction management contract was awarded to EllisDon Corporation of Mississauga, Ontario, which will tender all sub-contracts and oversee construction work.
Construction is set to begin in may and create about 2,000 jobs will be created throughout the project, with as many as 250 to 300 people working on-site during peak construction periods including more than 150 sub-contracts to provide greater opportunities for local and smaller contractors to bid on work.
Five percent of the value of all contracts are targeted for award to Indigenous businesses to create economic benefits for Indigenous Peoples.
The new facilities will be net-zero ready and built to meet Two Green Globes energy and environmental design standards and will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Defence buildings to meet the federal target of net-zero emissions by 2050.
New or renovated buildings will include modern office, operations and technical shop spaces, as well as new range, training, warehouse, medical, accommodations, access control, kitchen, mess, ammunition, equipment and vehicle storage facilities.
“The Canadian Special Operations Forces Command is pleased to see this infrastructure project moving forward,” said major-general Steve Boivin, Canadian Special Operations Forces Command. “An upgraded and modern purpose-built training centre ensures our members remain prepared to support Canada’s efforts to respond to a range of complex threats now, and in the future.”
JTF 2 is a unit of the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command. The unit provides high-level capabilities that protect Canadians from security threats both at home and abroad.
