Breaking New Ground—Stories from Defence Construction Breaking_new_ground | Page 94

We had a series of excavations to do, which meant that we had to identify
buried utilities. Before, we would have gone to the base for that, but there
was no one available to do that any more—they’d been laid off or moved.
There were no drawings, so how do you safely excavate when all of the
people with that corporate knowledge aren’t there? We had to start from
square one with test holes all around the base. We’ve come through it, but
we really had to find ways to make things work, and safely.

But what did it all mean?
The infrastructure reduction processes were about much more than
construction, however. In effect, they were the trigger for the change in
DCC’s business approach to the Corporation that it is today.
Former DCC President Ross Nicholls explains the link:
There was a spike in activity resulting from the IAP and IRP as the Department
spent money in order to reduce its footprint and lower its operating costs—
for example, there was a lot of new construction in Edmonton to accommodate
CF units relocating from Calgary and Chilliwack, which were closing. At the
same time that budgetary pressure caused the Department to shed staff,
new responsibilities, such as meeting new environmental policies and
regulations, were imposed. Because DCC had greater flexibility and latitude,
DND turned to us. It was during this period that the first sparks of the
growth that was expected to continue for the next decade took flame.
Our quick response to changing requirements set the stage for even
greater demand.
The decommissioning of closing facilities allowed the development of
environmental services, such as demolition focused on the three Rs
(reducing, reusing, recycling) and site remediation. Along with the increasing
demand for environmental remediation in northern Canada, DCC decided to
develop a depth of environmental expertise, which in turn became the first
modern “non-traditional” service line.
A number of other new service areas opened up during this period—
renewed interest in building system commissioning and energy
performance contracting under the Federal Building Initiative program
are just two examples.
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BREAKING NEW GROUND
DEFENCE CONSTRUCTION CANADA