Breaking New Ground—Stories from Defence Construction Breaking_new_ground | Page 30

Designed and built in Canada between
1950 and 1958, the Avro CF-100 was
Canada’s most successful military aircraft.
It remained in service until 1981.
Project: The Accelerated
Defence Programme
Strengthening the Canadian Armed Forces was a high
priority through the early 1950s, to the tune of $5 billion
over a three-year period. Some $200 to $300 million of
that money was destined for upgrading and expanding
DND facilities, a sum that outstripped other government
public works programs at the time.
First up was the Royal Canadian Air Force. Operation
Bulldozer upgraded 18 of the Air Force’s 32 airfields, in
part to accommodate the new Avro CF-100 all-weather
fighter aircraft that were introduced in 1952. New runways
were built and existing ones expanded, along with alert
facilities and arrester gear installations. DCL was there,
calling the tenders and supervising the contracts based
on the RCAF’s plans and specifications for the work.
As 1953 turned into 1954, much of the airfield work
was completed, and attention turned to the Army—
which had, since the outbreak of war in Korea,
increased to more than divisional size. Training areas
were needed, with Gagetown, New Brunswick getting
the nod first: at more than 400 square miles, it was
large enough to train brigade and larger formations;
its location near the Atlantic Ocean made it useful for
mobilizing, training and embarking forces being sent
overseas to serve with NATO; its terrain was similar to
Western Europe; and its climate allowed for year-round
training. Disturbing the local civilian population as little
as possible was also a major concern; the Gagetown
area was felt to be a good solution in this regard as well,
although 2,000 to 3,000 people were affected by the
decision and had to move.
Here’s how the project shaped up:
• With three separate areas—a town site, training area
and permanent unit accommodation area—it would
be the Commonwealth’s largest training facility.
• Contract packages began to be awarded in September
1954, with 80 buildings contracted within the first year.
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BREAKING NEW GROUND
DEFENCE CONSTRUCTION CANADA