Defence minister announces $215-million investment for NATO innovation office, training centre in Halifax

Halifax plays a key role in Canada’s defence and security, Defence Minister Bill Blair said Friday in announcing that the federal government is investing $215 million in new Halifax military facilities over the next several years.

The minister, in town for the 15th annual Halifax International Security Forum that runs through the weekend at the Westin Nova Scotian hotel, said he visited the Irving shipyard Friday morning.

“Halifax shipbuilders have already built and delivered four new Arctic and offshore patrol ships to the navy, two more are currently under construction and they’ll soon begin construction on the first of 15 warships for the Royal Canadian Navy’s surface combatant project.”

That, he said, is the largest Canadian shipbuilding effort since the Second World War. 

“This project is expected to create and maintain 10,000 jobs over 25 years and it’s going to provide our Navy with modern, state-of-the-art ships (made) right here in Canada to enable our navy to live up to our international commitments.”

Right next to the Irving shipyard, Blair said thousands of civilians and military personnel go to work every day at the Canadian Forces Base Halifax, home of the Atlantic fleet and Canada’s largest military base.

Growing demands

“It needs new facilities to meet the growing demands of our personnel,” the minister said. “Today, I have the opportunity to again announce that we are moving forward to build a brand new $188-million training centre here at CFB Halifax. This centre is going to provide Canadian Armed Forces members with the experience they are going to require in above-water, underwater and maritime air fighting so that they are ready to sail in our incoming fleet of 15 Canadian surface combat ships when they finally come off the line.”

Blair said The EllisDon Corporation of Halifax has been awarded a $7.85-million contract to design the new Combatant Training and Integration Centre – Atlantic (CTIC-A) – and the Defence Department hopes the centre will be completed by 2029.

The CTIC-A project is expected to sustain almost 650 jobs in the Halifax region during construction.

“This is good news for Halifax, but it’s also good news for the Navy, it’s good news for the Canadian Armed Forces because I hope it demonstrates to them that we are prepared to make investments in them, to provide them with state-of-the-art equipment.”

Research, innovation

In his security forum opening address, Blair said Halifax is also home to an impressive defence, research and innovation network.

Halifax also boasts Canada’s Atlantic facility that provides expertise in areas like underwater acoustic research, it’s home to several universities, and to COVE, the centre for marine technology and innovation, Blair said.

“As my predecessor Minister (Anita) Anand announced last year, Halifax will soon be home to NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic, or DIANA,” Blair said. “Today we are making an additional investment of $26.6 million over six years to enable the opening and operation of DIANA’s North American regional office here in Halifax. This investment is going to allow DIANA to open in Halifax by next summer, it’s going to make sure that innovators have a place and the funding required to develop dual-use technologies that will have both civilian and military use.

“It’s good for the Canadian Armed Forces. We know that by bolstering Canadian innovation and investing in our defence industrial base, we are going to make it better able to support the Canadian Armed Forces and better able to support our allies,” Blair said. 

“As the nature of conflict changes, we will need to innovate, to adapt across all domains, on sea, on land, in the air, and on cyber, in space and we need to invest in game-changing technologies like AI and Quantum and that is exactly what DIANA is going to do for us here in Halifax. 

Perfect fit

Andy Fillmore, the MP for Halifax, said in a news release that the municipality, with its thriving ecosystem of entrepreneurial science and technology start-ups, universities and research centres, and Canada’s Atlantic naval fleet, is the perfect home for DIANA centre.

“This is a major deal for region — it means investment and jobs in our local economy, all while supporting the NATO alliance from right here on Canada’s Atlantic coast,” Fillmore said.

Halifax Mayor Mike Savage said the federal investment is a welcome announcement. 

“Halifax is a hub of defence research and innovation, and CFB Halifax is essential to Canada’s naval power,” the mayor said. “By investing in Halifax, the federal government is reinforcing the security of Canada and our allies, all while spurring economic growth in our city.”

Global contributions

In his keynote security forum speech to the 300 delegates from 60 countries, Blair outlined Canada’s contributions to current security challenges in the Middle East, Europe, and the Indo-Pacific. 

He highlighted Canada’s growing military presence in the Indo-Pacific and announced that Lt.-Gen. Derek Macaulay has been named as the next deputy commander of United Nations Command in Korea, which enforces the armistice of 1953 on the Korean Peninsula. 

He will officially begin his duties in Korea in the coming weeks. This is the second time that a Canadian officer has held this position.

“We will continue to make major investments right here in Halifax and across our country,” Blair said. “I want to assure you all Canada understands its responsibility to continue to invest in the Canadian Armed Forces to make sure it is prepared, resourced and equipped to do the important job of keeping our country safe.”

Blair said threats to international stability are on the rise.

“In the face of those threats, we’ve got to work together,” he said. “We must learn from each other, we must share our experiences in the Middle East and in Europe, the Indo-Pacific, here in North America and around the globe. We must step up to address these challenges and to preserve peace and prosperity for our peoples. 

“Together I believe and I am confident that we can build a safer world. We can stand up to those who are trying to sow chaos and division, we can ensure that our militaries are ready to face the threats of tomorrow and ultimately we can protect and strengthen the rules-based international order that keeps us all safe.”