August 4, 2020 By Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press
OTTAWA—The construction of a new military refuelling station in the Arctic is facing another delay more than 13 years after it was first promised by the federal government, with one analyst raising concerns about other pressing military needs in the region.
Former prime minister Stephen Harper announced plans to build the Nanisivik deep-water port in Nunavut, along with up to eight armed Arctic patrol vessels, during a trip to the Far North in 2007.
The port, considered one of the crown jewels of the Conservative government's Arctic strategy, was intended to provide fuel to the patrol ships and other federal vessels while expanding the military's permanent footprint in the North.
The long-standing expectation was that the port located at the site of an old mining jetty on Baffin Island, about 20 kilometres from the community of Arctic Bay, would be ready by the time the first of those ships was delivered to the Royal Canadian Navy.
Yet while the first Arctic patrol vessel was handed over to the navy on Friday after numerous delays and cost overruns, the Department of National Defence confirmed the Nanisivik facility won't be operational until at least 2022.
Defence Department spokeswoman Jessica Lamirande said COVID-19 scuttled this year's construction season, which can only occur between June and September because of weather in the North.
“Due to COVID-19 delays, a small number of contractors are expected to return to the site in August to start the 2020 work season,” Lamirande said in an email.
“This means the season will be much shorter than planned and will only allow for a limited amount of work to be completed.”
COVID-19 is only the most recent challenge to plague construction of the Nanisivik facility, which was originally supposed to be up and running in 2013 and include an airstrip and be manned throughout the year.
The airstrip and year-round service were cut from the plans after the project's original $100-million budget was found to have more than doubled to $258 million in 2013. The current price tag is estimated at $146 million, according to Lamirande.
The federal government has also faced environmental hurdles due to the need to clean up the old fuel-tank farm located on the site, which was home to a port used to ship ore from an old zinc mine. There were also structural issues with the existing jetty.
Lamirande said significant progress has been made on the facility since the first full construction season in 2015, with nearly all fuelling infrastructure in place.
But the fact the port still hasn't been finished, despite the scope of the project having been dramatically scaled back, is both disheartening and troubling, said defence analyst David Perry of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.
Canada's relative difficulty building a single port with limited facilities in the North contrasts sharply with Russia's massive Arctic expansion in recent years, Perry said, and bodes poorly for needed Canadian military investments in the region.
Those include upgrading the string of increasingly obsolete radars that forms the backbone of North America's system for incoming missiles and air- and water-based threats, as well as several airstrips in the area that will be used by Canada's new fighter jets.
Those projects are expected to start in the coming years.
“It's kind of dispiriting how long it has taken us to develop relatively simple infrastructure at one of the most accessible parts of our Arctic,” Perry said of Nanisivik.
“The length of time it has taken us to build doesn't leave a lot of confidence that the other projects are going to move in a relatively quick timeframe.”
January 9, 2023 | Local, Aerospace
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January 10, 2019 | Local, Aerospace
DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN The Canadian Forces is preparing to take possession by the spring of the first of 25 used Australian F-18 fighter jets. Eighteen of the Australian aircraft will be flying while another seven will be used for testing and spare parts. The Department of National Defence has provided more details on the types of aircraft Canada is acquiring. “The requested mix is 12 A-model (single seat) and 6 B-model (dual seat) aircraft; however, this is subject to adjustment,” said Department of National Defence spokesman Dan Le Bouthillier. The final mix will be dependent on a number of considerations, including the condition and availability of aircraft, he added. The dual seat aircraft will be used for training, Le Bouthillier noted. The additional fighter jets will be used to augment operations and training. One of the first things that will be done to the used Australian F-18s that Canada is purchasing is that the aircraft will be outfitted with different ejection seats and software. The first two F-18s that Canada is buying from Australia will arrive sometime in the spring and will be sent to Cold Lake, Alta, Pat Finn, assistant deputy minister for materiel at the Department of National Defence said. “They land, they (the Australians) will remove their software and we'll install our software,” Finn explained in an interview. Also to be installed are ejection seats and a lighting system that is used on the CF-18s. “Ultimately the intent is the 18 aircraft are indistinguishable from our 76 aircraft,” Finn said. Canada has finalized its deal to buy the 25 used fighter jets from Australia, https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/used-australian-f-18s-heading-to-canada-will-be-a-mix-of-single-and-dual-seat-aircraft
December 10, 2018 | Local, Naval
QUEBEC, Dec. 7 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - Quebec's National Assembly unanimously adopted a motion in support of the Federal government's reform or 'refresh' of the National Shipbuilding Strategy. The motion called upon the federal government to endorse the House of Commons and Senate's recommendations to proceed immediately with the construction at Davie Shipbuilding of a second Resolve-Class Naval Support Ship as well as a new fleet of icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard. During 2017, the Federal government conducted a review of the National Shipbuilding Strategy in order to reform the failed strategy and begin to deliver ships for Canada in a timely and cost-effective manner. The Quebec marine industry workers and suppliers are now awaiting the widely anticipated policy refresh. James Davies, President of Davie Shipbuilding commented, "The first Resolve-Class Naval Support Ship, Asterix, has performed flawlessly at full capacity since she was delivered in January 2018. In order to ensure the success of the government's defence policy - Strong, Secure and Engaged - as well as the navy's Leadmark 2050 plan, we need to begin the construction of a second ship without delay. I also wish to highlight the outstanding leadership of the Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier Mr. Donald Martel in this matter of primary importance for the newly elected Quebec government, as well as the role of the Magdalen Islands MNA, Joël Arseneau, in supporting the motion aimed at including Quebec in the Shipbuilding Strategy." Jacques Letourneau, President of the CSN added, "A shipbuilding strategy which leaves out 50% of Canada'sshipbuilding capacity will never be a 'national' one and it certainly will never be a successful one, as time has shown. Seven years, no ships and billions wasted. . Richard Tremblay, Vice-President of the Chantier Davie Canada Suppliers' Association stated, "The Emerson Report (2016) is clear: The Navy and Coast Guard ships are having to be decommissioned faster than they can be replaced. Although the current government inherited this mess, it is now their responsibility to fix it and the 879 Davie Shipbuilding suppliers in Quebec stand ready to help them." NOTE TO EDITORS: About Davie Davie and Federal Fleet Services are part of the Inocea group. While Davie focuses on shipbuilding, Federal Fleet concentrates on obtaining contracts and on vessel rental. Davie is Canada's largest and most experienced shipyard. It is also the highest capacity shipyard in Canada, with 50% of the country's total capacity. Over the last six years, Davie generated more than 2.7 G$ in economic impact in Canada and employed, up until recently, directly and indirectly, over 3 000 Canadians, including 1 400 at the Lévis shipyard, in the province of Quebec. For over a century, Davie has been in charge of the construction and the repair of each major vessel class. Today, Davie is a leader in the icebreaking, LNG and dynamic positioning technology fields, as well as in naval and other crucial shipbuilding domains. Davie is an ISO 9001:2015 (quality assurance) and ISO 14001:2015 (environmental management) certified company. The first replenishment ship built by Davie, the Asterix, was the first naval vessel to join the ranks of Green Marine, the most important environmental certification voluntary program for North America's marine industry. SOURCE Davie Shipbuilding For further information: Frederik Boisvert, Vice President, Public Affairs, Chantier Davie, Cell phone: +1-418-455-2759; François L'Écuyer, CSN Communications Director, Tel: +1-514-949-8973, francois.lecuyer@csn.qc.ca https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/quebecs-national-assembly-unanimously-adopts-a-motion-in-support-of-the-federal-governments-refresh-of-the-national-shipbuilding-strategy-702203571.html