# former base or training  land near Dunrobin Ontario?



## FormerHorseGuard (11 Aug 2010)

I was taking the bosses boat to get  soem service done on it a boat repair place in the Dunrobin Ontario and we drove by  a large fenced off area of land near Vance Side Road and Dunrobin Road and it was marked NO Tresspassing on almost every  post with the words Order of the MND ( which I took to mean Minister of National Defence) . Anyone know what  this land was at one time or was used for?
I know of the former Bunker in Carp, The ranges jsut outside of Ottawa , the former testing center to the east  of the City  but never heard of anything in the Dunrobin area. Anyone ahve any  answers let me know thanks
stuart


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## Zoomie (11 Aug 2010)

The only reference that I can find about Dunrobin is in an obscure Signals post about it being a communication facility manned by CFS Carp.


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## Occam (11 Aug 2010)

http://www.rcsigs.ca/ViewUnit/59/


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## George Wallace (11 Aug 2010)

Could be nothing more than an antenna farm.


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## Haggis (11 Aug 2010)

Got some Google Earth coordinates for us?


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## pbi (11 Aug 2010)

Occam said:
			
		

> http://www.rcsigs.ca/ViewUnit/59/



The reference to Carleton Place is interesting: last Sunday, while driving through town there, I passed what looked suspiciously likea WWII-era two story wooden building, possibly a barrack block or large office. White siding, green roof and trim, external stairways. It was located near a railway crossing on the main road on the outskirts of town, and may have been recently used as an industrial site. Could this be the old CF radio site?

Cheers


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## AmmoTech90 (11 Aug 2010)

pbi said:
			
		

> The reference to Carleton Place is interesting: last Sunday, while driving through town there, I passed what looked suspiciously likea WWII-era two story wooden building, possibly a barrack block or large office. White siding, green roof and trim, external stairways. It was located near a railway crossing on the main road on the outskirts of town, and may have been recently used as an industrial site. Could this be the old CF radio site?
> Cheers



I believe the facilities in Carleton Place, Smiths Falls, Kemptville, Refrew, and Arnprior may be what came to be know as Central Relocation Units (CRUs).  These were facilities that could be used a communications hubs and shelters for government in case of a nuclear attack.  As part of 763 (Ottawa) Communication Regiment we used to man these and test the communications links on weekends.  To the best of my knowledge they were in the basements of municipal buildings such as the city hall or post office.  I remember getting some pretty odd looks coming out of the post office basement with an FN on a Sunday morning.  I do not know when they were shut down, probably at the same time as Carp.  They were still being used in 1989.


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## Old Sweat (11 Aug 2010)

I think you are correct re the original use. In doing some vital point work back circa 1991, I looked at a list that included all of the above. The one in Kemptville was in a fairly old building that was called the "Public Works Canada Training Centre." It was used for accommodation during the ice storm and was torn down a few years ago.


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## MGB (11 Aug 2010)

The site's coordinates are: 45.390976,-75.926256

The property in question is huge. It is home to multiple DND / CF facilities. My father in-law used to do maintenance, as a civilian, on the property. He tells me that there was a lot of training on the grounds including weapons, parachuting, and obstable courses. His CF boss told him there was communication monitoring and testing that took place on the site. I know some reservists who trained there (a long time ago.) When I was in Air Cadets I believe we had a weekend exercise there once. The site is 12km from the Diefenbunker. Two sites relevant to the property are:

Connaught Range and Primary Training Centre (CRPTC)

http://www.cfsuo.forces.gc.ca/ope/crp-pcc/index-eng.asp

Shirley's Bay Campus Canadian Forces Experimentation Centre

http://www.cfd-cdf.forces.gc.ca/sites/page-eng.asp?page=3051


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## George Wallace (11 Aug 2010)

MGB said:
			
		

> The site's coordinates are: 45.390976,-75.926256



That coordinate puts you in the middle of Connaught Range and Primary Training Centre (CRPTC)

This is off Riddell Drive.



I am not sure that this is the location that FormerHorseGuard was referring to.  If he was well west of March Rd and Carp, around Vances Side Rd and Dunrobin Rd    45°26'31.79"N   76° 2'52.08"W   ...........  All I see there is open farmlands.


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## MGB (11 Aug 2010)

George Wallace said:
			
		

> That coordinate puts you in the middle of Connaught Range and Primary Training Centre (CRPTC)
> 
> This is off Riddell Drive.
> 
> ...



Thanks George, I figured that the site at Riddell Drive and Dunrobin Road was what FormerHorseGuard was referring to as it looks like he described it (it looks like bush land around any DND site I've seen with No Tresspassing signs) and is just up the road from Vances Side Road. I am not personally familiar with any DND signage at Vances Side Road and Dunrobin Road. I don't see any signage around using Google Street View.


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## FormerHorseGuard (18 Aug 2010)

Thanks guys for the answers. The sign was lettered  Order of MND. I figured it was old base maybe i was wrong. 
The place in Carleton Place was a former aid to civil power complex. I forget the exact name of the department that  looked after it, Arnprior had one too. When I worked at LFCA HQ in the early 90s they  had a meeting at the Arnpior complex and shortly  there after it was closed. It might of been Emergency Prepareness Canada. At  least one staff officer was posted there, a captain if I remember right . Been a long time so might be a little off in the correct title.  Carleton Place complex was sold off  a few years ago.

Next time I am touring around Dunrobin area for work I will stop and take pictures and post them so maybe some one might have some answers


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## MGB (19 Aug 2010)

FormerHorseGuard said:
			
		

> I forget the exact name of the department that  looked after it, Arnprior had one too. When I worked at LFCA HQ in the early 90s they  had a meeting at the Arnpior complex and shortly  there after it was closed. It might of been Emergency Prepareness Canada.



The location on Baskin Drive in Arnprior was indeed the home to the Canadian Emergency Management College, also known as, the Canadian Emergency Preparedness College. The program was originally founded in Arnprior. Following the election of Conservative Cheryl Gallant as MP for the riding of Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke (and the defeat of long time Liberal MP Hec Clouthier) the Liberal government of the day moved the facility to 1495 Heron Road in Ottawa. The impact on Arnprior's local economy was substantial to say the least and estimated as a loss of over $1-Million per year.

Since the site was vacated, in my life as a civi, I have seen CF training take place there. The Arnprior Airport (formerly known as the South Renfrew Municipal Airport), which is beside the former college, was(/is?) used by the CF for parachute training. The airport otherwise serves both recreational and regular traffic.


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## Franko (19 Aug 2010)

I've been to the site off Dunrobin Rd and stepped on almost every foot of it. It's a small manoeuver area that goes from the Connaught Ranges proper to the Ottawa river. Not very big at all and there are no structures there either.

It's probably being retained as training area for the Cadets and CFSAC events. I know that 2870 RCD Cadets use it frequently.

Regards


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## George Wallace (19 Aug 2010)

Dunrobin Rd is a good distance from Connaught Ranges.  Riddell Drive is the boundary to the NW, and March Valley Rd is the boundary to the SW.  The location originally mentioned on Dunrobin Rd is still about 10 km to the NW with a large high tech industrial park and residential area, not to mention a Golf Course, in between.


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## Franko (19 Aug 2010)

George Wallace said:
			
		

> Dunrobin Rd is a good distance from Connaught Ranges.  Riddell Drive is the boundary to the NW, and March Valley Rd is the boundary to the SW.  The location originally mentioned on Dunrobin Rd is still about 10 km to the NW with a large high tech industrial park and residential area, not to mention a Golf Course, in between.



Ooops, wrong street.

Regards


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## TangoTwoBravo (19 Aug 2010)

I'm reaching back about 24 years here, but as an Army Cadet growing up in Kanata I had a good Cadet friend in Dunrobin.  Near his house was a very old obstable course/training area set back in some woods.  We were told that it was a kit testing facility from year back, in that new clothing would be put through tests there.  I have no reference for that except personal anecdotes.  If I recall correctly the land between that facility and the Connaught Ranges was all DND property, just that most of it was unused swamp land.

Cheers


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