CFB Halifax to get new $188M training facility

CFB Halifax will be getting a new $188-million training base.

National Defence Minister Bill Blair made the announcement at the Halifax International Security Forum on Friday.

“The centre is going to provide training armed forces members with the expertise they’re going to require in above-water, under-water and maritime air fighting,” Blair said during the announcement.

The $188 million will cover the cost of design, demolition, construction and personnel, a department news release noted.

The department said the EllisDon Corporation of Halifax was awarded a $7.85-million contract to design the Combatant Training and Integration Centre – Atlantic, also known as CTIC-A.

It noted the centre “will house cutting-edge training systems to train Canadian sailors for the incoming fleet of Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) warships.”

The department anticipates CTIC-A will “sustain almost 650 jobs” in the Halifax area while it’s being built.

Blair also announced that Canada is going to spend $26.6 million over six years to establish the North American Regional office for NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic in Halifax. The department anticipates the accelerator, also known as DIANA, would be open by summer 2024.

“DIANA seeks to unite the best and brightest innovators across the Alliance — and provides deep tech and dual-use innovators with access to NATO resources including grant funding, acceleration services, and pathways to adapt their solutions for defence and security needs,” the defence department said in a news release.

“Halifax is home to an impressive defence innovation network, including Defence Research and Development Canada’s Atlantic Research Centre, and marine technology innovation centres like COVE. The federal government will continue to make meaningful investments to ensure that Halifax remains a hub of defence innovation.”