The Closing of CFB Chilliwack & No Regular Force Army Battalions in BC?!

[bwatch]

ParaMedTech   +1 ;D

Couldn't have said it better myself........I spent a total of 9+ years there working/running the ammo section & then with the ASU...Cheers.

Jim

It's the same with my old regiment in Montreal, they go to Fort Drum at least once a month in New York State. While Seaforth tend to go mostly to Fort Lewis as do BC REG.  I'm not sure about the others.

 

[Donut]

and again, for what? 

What does Ft Lewis offer them, besides a different tng area (which DOES have value I'll admit, new terrain: New challenges) and a big honking PX, that used to be, but is no longer, available in Chilliwack?

Zoomie, is that Chilcotin you're talking about?

 

[Michael OLeary]

It's the same with my old regiment in Montreal, they go to Fort Drum at least once a month in New York State. While Seaforth tend to go mostly to Fort Lewis as do BC REG.  I'm not sure about the others.

According to Google maps

From: Montréal, QC
To: Fort Drum, NY, USA

274 km (about 3 hours 22 mins)

Now compare this with these options:

To: Val-Bélair, QC (outside Valcartier)

267 km (about 2 hours 58 mins)

From: Montréal, QC
To: Petawawa, ON

353 km (about 4 hours 2 mins)


Valcartier and Fort Drum are about the same distance from Montreal.  And the time 'lost' at the border probably doesn't make Petawawa a significantly different option. I would suggest that training in the US is seldom a matter of lack of options in Canada.  There are, of course, those instances where very unique training facilities exist, or you are travelling far enough south to enable 'summer' training during our Canadian 'winter'.

 

[geo]

It's the same with my old regiment in Montreal, they go to Fort Drum at least once a month in New York State. While Seaforth tend to go mostly to Fort Lewis as do BC REG.  I'm not sure about the others.

Considering all the bureaucratic paperwork required to move troops & arms to the US, Ft Drum is not necessarily all that good an option.

Trg areas near Montreal:
Valcartier
Petawawa
Farnham
St Bruno ranges
Connaught ranges

Ft Drum (NY)
Etan Allen ranges (Vt)

... It is often "sexy" going to the US - even if the training facilities are similar

HOWEVER

That having been said, there is one great advantage to training in the US.... Base ASU bend over backwards to provide you with services.  Not forced to face the 9-5 Mon to Fri BS we sometimes get on our side of the border.... "what do you mean you didn't submit your forms into the papermill 6 or 8 weeks ago... sorry, can't do anything for you"

But, from a rifleman's point of view - not much of a difference between all of the above training areas.

 

[McG]

It's the same with my old regiment in Montreal . . .

What is the same & how is it the same?

 

[dapaterson]

Another overlooked issue:  1 CMBG now has their CER colocated with three of the units they support - 1 VP, 3 VP and the LDSH.  There's certainly a benefit to having those units colocated (but better if there were an easily accessible training area).


And fond memories of Chilcotin are flooding back now... and fine stories... like learning that map overprints are not always correct, and that perhaps that abandonned shack isn't really in the training area, well after the fact...

 

[PPCLI Guy]

Water under the bridge - and reversing the decision would cost a fortune.  What capabilty / project should we sacrifice?

 

[Zoomie]

Zoomie, is that Chilcotin you're talking about?

Indeed - forgot the name...

It's within 3 hours of the Lower Mainland - does it have any training value?

 

[Donut]

Zoomie, I recall Ops looking into using it when I was at 6FES, and the cost to the unit to to get Range Control to reopen it was prohibitive.  Of course, we no longer actually have RC in ASU CWac, so it may be cheaper these days  ;D