New base for Canada’s elite Joint Task Force 2 commandos still years away

[Chaske]

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1125543

OTTAWA—Canada’s elite commandos likely won’t move into a new base near CFB Trenton for several years despite a decision to kick two reluctant landowners off their property, the military says....
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What CANSOF wants CANSOF gets. The current base for JTF2 is getting bloated and now to small for the unit. the new base is supposed to be a lot larger with its own pool and gym and then some.

Having a landing pad near the new base will make CANSOF that much more effective. Still I feel real bad about the families that are being forced to move.

 

[CDG]

I have mixed feelings about this. When it comes down it, no one family is more important than what the Canadians feel they need for their SOF guys. On the other hand, it's pretty shitty to boot the landowners, especially the guy that has had the same piece of land in his family for 2oo years.

 

[RackMaster]

It's shitty but they have been negotiating this for years and he doesn't want to budge. The base was bound to expand that way with or with out JTF2 and a new location is long, long, long overdue.

This will save $$$$ in travel costs for training and deployments, making our guys a much more effective force.

 

[dknob]

I wanna see a map of this "base" and the landowners property and why its imperitive for them to kick him out

 

[RackMaster]

Here's an excerpt from an article in the local paper that explains the location. I added a screen grab, it's the area North of the airfield circled in red. It's that area or they start tearing down base housing to the East and West. Well that or they could start expanding into the water...

http://www.trentonian.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1648838&archive=true
Now that his neighbours have sold their own farm to the government, Frank Meyers’ 97 hectares is the largest chunk of land in the government’s desired area.
That area is bordered by the base, RCAF Road, Meyers Creek Road and Whites Road.
The government has the legal right to expropriate any land it wants. Neither the DND nor Public Works have said land will be taken in that form, maintaining throughout the three-year quest for land that it is not on the table “at this time” and that “fair” deals negotiated with land owners is the goal.
“Expropriation is an available option to acquire property pursuant to the Expropriation Act,” said Department of National Defence spokeswoman Lynne Rattray. “Therefore yes, this option may be considered should the property be unavailable due to the unwillingness of the landowners to sell.”

In November 2007, DND spokesman Dave Martin said the government’s minimum land requirement was for about 200 hectares. Now, though, the DND wants the entire 401-hectare area covered by 12 interconnected properties.
“The intent has always been that DND would purchase 400 hectares of land to the north of CFB Trenton,” Rattray said. “At one time, it was determined that in order to start the design process for the project, a minimum of 220 hectares of contiguous property was required, but the department has always maintained its requirement for the full 400 hectares.”
As of last week, five properties totalling more than 150 hectares have been purchased.

http://g.co/maps/2pe98

 

[dknob]

oh hell no.. take that dudes land.

But pay him very well for it.

 

[RackMaster]

oh hell no.. take that dudes land.

But pay him very well for it.

That's what they've been trying to do but he doesn't think it's enough. Land is not cheap around there to begin with and I'm sure he'll get paid well above the going rate.

 

[abn373]

He better get paid so well that his grandchildren's grandchildren are using Bentleys as lawn ornaments.
Canada has a kajillion million billion of acres of nothingness and somehow they have to take some guy's land that he has had for hundreds of years?
For what exactly? to stay close to a Starbucks or the Mall or something? Shoot, those things pop up near any military base...Build a base and the pawn shops, cleaners, strip clubs, shopping centers, etc cant help but pop up.
Well at least they are actually taking it for military reasons, instead of to make an access for a mall or to support traffic flow caused by a developer building a massive smurf village.

 

[x SF med]

He better get paid so well that his grandchildren's grandchildren are using Bentleys as lawn ornaments.
Canada has a kajillion million billion of acres of nothingness and somehow they have to take some guy's land that he has had for hundreds of years?
For what exactly? to stay close to a Starbucks or the Mall or something? Shoot, those things pop up near any military base...Build a base and the pawn shops, cleaners, strip clubs, shopping centers, etc cant help but pop up.
Well at least they are actually taking it for military reasons, instead of to make an access for a mall or to support traffic flow caused by a developer building a massive smurf village.

He should be paid more than fairly, and a portion of the base should be named for his family - The JCB Trenton, Smith Annex

Many of those " kajillion million billion of acres of nothingness " would do no good in this situation - it would be like having 400 different small posts, 500 miles away from each other and having t otravel whole companies or even teams around the country to train would cost more than annexing the land. Moving the entire base/command/support structure out to one of those areas would 1. be infiitely more expensive than the annex and 2. ruin the economy of the current area. We are talking the major CANSOF base here, security plays a huge part in this decision as well as community good will.

Ther is no good answer here but the current plan appears to be the best idea....

 

[abn373]

Many of those " kajillion million billion of acres of nothingness " would do no good in this situation - it would be like having 400 different small posts, 500 miles away from each other and having t otravel whole companies or even teams around the country to train would cost more than annexing the land. Moving the entire base/command/support structure out to one of those areas would 1. be infiitely more expensive than the annex and 2. ruin the economy of the current area. We are talking the major CANSOF base here, security plays a huge part in this decision as well as community good will.

You are probably right, obviously I am talking out my ass, it seemed like that base is already way too tiny to be a major SOF base. It doesn't even look like enough room to have any ranges rated for anything over 7.62. I was imagining a Fort Bragg type situation and when I look at that map provided I think this looks like one of the many USARNG bases/training centers that should have been shut down, but aren't because of politics...Like Willow Grove Airbase in Philadelphia, a good idea at the time, but outlived it's usefulness.
From the best I can tell, CFB Trenton is pretty much just an Air Force Base, currently, so it seems like instead of trying to jam a massive SOF base, with ranges, and such in to a small footprint, maybe using a base like Petawawa (I might be outdated here, are the airborne troops still there? I was there in the 90s) or building a new, modern facility somewhere else in the greater Ottawa area, with room to expand, might be a more sensible idea in the long run.

 

[RackMaster]

If you think that is small, you'd be surprised by what has been used currently and in the past. ;) Petawawa is still used and you could say that there are still airborne troops there. The Airborne Regiment is no longer there but there are Para assets in 3 RCR Para Coy and 2 RCHA E Battery. It is also the home to 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron and CSOR.

The need for using CFB Trenton is it is our main strategic lift base and having the troops/equip right beside the tarmac will get boots on the ground any where around the world a lot quicker.