The new Etobicoke Armoury (Joint Use with Toronto Police)

[Vigilant]

Construction of a new training facility (replacement of C. O. Bick College) was approved by the Toronto Police Services Board and Toronto City Council as a capital project in the 2002-2006 Capital Program.

In spring 2003, the DND approached the Toronto Police Service to express an interest in establishing a partnership with TPS in the new training facility. This partnership would involve the incorporation of DND design requirements into the TPS facility along with a financial contribution that would be applied towards the project. It is expected that the building design will contain a separate wing to house the DND facilities; in the event that a financial agreement can not be reached, the design may be easily revised to accommodate only the Service's operational requirements.

The City purchased the building site for the new training facility in 2003. The contract to conduct the required environmental assessment was recently awarded to CM2r and the work is underway. In collaboration with DND and City Corporate Services, the Service has short-listed architects for the design phase of the project.

AFAIK the project is currently in the definition and design phase. The City's Corporate Services, Legal Services and the TPS will continue to work on a financial agreement with DND. The finalisation of the agreement with DND will be subject to City Council approval.

LFCA would like to move the Tor Scots there in Fall of 2007.

If you have any information, please post it if you can.

 

[Vigilant]

Toronto City Council approved the police facility at 70 Birmingham Street in Etobicoke in 2003. It is listed in their records as "70 Birmingham Street - Purchase of Land for the Toronto Police Service Firearms/Defensive Tactics and Applicant Testing Facility".

The police service spent $500,000 in 2003 and had budgeted to spend $1.1 million in the 2004 year on design and site preparation. The bulk of the project total â ” $47.4 million â ” is slated to be spent in 2005-2007.

The Toronto Scottish Regiment will move out of Fort York Armoury. 75 Tor Scots RCACC (their cadets) will move as well. 75 Miss Coy will stay at new leased Mississauga Armoury.

The police area will have a shooting range. Facillities at the new armoury include enough lockers for 100 pers, 20 Classroom Computers and a small arms trainer.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

We've already done this down in Windsor. We have a joint military/ police training facility and armoury. It seems to be working out fairly well so far. There was, and still is, a minor hiccup here and there with cross booking, but nothing that couldn't be taken care of. We use each others facilities at various times, rappel tower, etc, but don't hold your breathe on the range thing. The police have a state of the art 100 mtr indoor rifle range, with movers and the whole works, and capable of sustaining some very high calibre stuff, right in the city. We've been told by them we can use it anytime, but some military person higher up, and out of town has decided it doesn't fit some obscure DND template and has denied us the use. I guess if you try to adapt an outdoor template to an indoor range..... :. So now we have to move the Regiment to Cedar Springs 80 kms away, for a weekend, with rations, advance party, transport and everything else that goes with a weekend camp. Versus, walk out the back door to the range and shoot. What a novel idea. Still, the new digs are great. The messes are functioning better than ever. We have room to breathe without being on other units toes. So far it's been a win/ win.

 

[Vigilant]

The Tilston Armoury in Windsor, right?

The documents I read refer to it as the starting template for this project, as well as for another Armoury in Winnipeg, if I remember correctly.

My only concern is that right now the Etobicoke Armoury appears to be specified for a single Unit, but what if they want to close down Fort York Armoury sooner than expected? Having never visited the new site, I hope there is enough room there for expansion in case they want to put several more units in there. Or at the very least, design it so that they can build an extension to the DND wing.

I think there is a rappel tower specified in the proposal.

Someone told me the current shooting range at Bick is inadequate for police training and doesn't meet Provincial standards. So I guess they really need it so all of the new recruits can hone their skills.

A newspaper article said this would be one of the most advanced ranges in the world. Hopefully we will be able to use these (free) resources. But I'm not in the Tor Scots, so probably not going to be able to use it unless I call in some favors...

 

[Fishbone Jones]

We have three full Units, plus the Band and cadets. Everyone has their own Unit lines and QM's, plus we house an ASU clothing det and an ASU vehicle repair det.

The Tilston Armourmy in Windsor, right?

The documents I read refer to it as the starting template for this project, as well as for another Armoury in Winnipeg, if I remember correctly.

That's the one.

A newspaper article said this would be one of the most advanced ranges in the world. Hopefully we will be able to use these (free) resources.

We were told the same thing for the range. Don't hold your breathe, you'll suffocate before that knot in someone's face disappears.

 

[Vigilant]

Just got this sent to me:

History:

1937 to 1980 - Canning operation (Continental Can)
1980 to 1989 - Industrial
1989 to Present - Vacant land

Site Area: 16.4 acres (6.6 hectares)

Environmental Issues:
PCBs
Asbestos
1300 tones of petroleum hydrocarbons removed
Metals
Trichlorethane (TCA)
TPH, PAH, VOC

Looks like there's quite a lot to clean up.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

;D LOL. Sounds like our place. Zug Island a mile north across the Detroit River, one of the most heavily polluted spots in N America and spewing it's shit on the prevailing wind right to us. A sewage treatment plant 200 mtrs to our west, that's a joy on a hot humid day with a westerly breeze. But.... you take the good with the bad. Makes for good training though, gives us about the same atmosphere as Kabul without the sandstorms ;D

 

[the 48th regulator]

the area has some of the oldest neighbourhoods, and as well as large industrial sites.  

I was born and raised near there, I have worked in that area for close to a decade, and outside of the growth on my shoulder that has better teeth than I, it is alright....really...

Hence why I moved to Scarborough, I guess...Pillars on the porch way are much more classier...

To be candid, yes the area has a lot of industrial sites, but it also has some very fine communities, whose average price is about 250,000 minimum (Kingsway,Lakeshore)

dileas

tess

 

[Vigilant]

Isn't the area also being extensively developed? Townhouses, condos, things like that seem to be in the works...

 

[the 48th regulator]

sure has,

More the reason to have a facility there, helps to keep the military in the public eye, wouldn't you agree?

dileas

tess

 

[Vigilant]

Oh yes, definitely. That was part of the whole reason we expanded into Mississauga and Scarborough, right? Expands the community footprint as far out as Oakville and Oshawa.

What I find interesting is that if this is approved, we will go from 3 Armouries in the GTA to 6 in just a few short years.

Someone posted elsewhere that the GG's wanted to expand into Markham, but that will be held back for a couple of years at least. Too bad, I think a Richmond Hill/Markham unit would do really well.

I like MPA though. Close to the highway and TTC.


EDIT: Make that from 4 to 7 if you count the Aurora Armoury that the QYRangs use.

 

[the 48th regulator]

hehehe Moss Park, God Bless the place


hehehe that's all I will say...ahh the memories!!

And do you believe that we will keep the place?  We have already confirmed the release of FY as discussed in this thread...

Fort York Armoury to be given up by 2031  , but I see that being taken away, from the military, much sooner than that date.

MPA, the renovations have really proved the fact it will be on the chopping block..in the very near future IMHO.

We will go to Armouries that are modern, and more efficient in reaching the outer communities.  Gone are the day when the majority of people that serve, live downtown .  Let us target training sites towards where people will live now.


dileas

tess

 

[Vigilant]

We have to go where the people are. Can't expect everyone to come to us.

North York is now THE central area for Toronto and the GTA. MPA is good because it is close to the highway and the TTC. Dennison is close to the 401, so not too bad.


It is not if, but a question of when we will give up FYA. I think that it will be a lot sooner than 2031, possibly 2015 if we can get construction going on a Richmond Hill/Markham Armoury.

I can see the Comm going to Dennison, QYRangs to Richmond Hill/Markham, and the Royals going to Etobicoke. What do you think?

 

[the 48th regulator]

hmmm very good assessment,

I agree on that, as it coincides with the growth of transit in our city (as compared to where the original armouries were created)

As long as you locate the 48th in the vicintity of proper pubs, peppered with some dance joints....

dileas

tess

 

[Vigilant]

LOL, everyone at MPA gets to stay where they are. Don't see any logical reason to move out of there, since we just renovated it.

Gee, your offices look all shiny and spiffy!

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Don't see any logical reason to move out of there, since we just renovated it.

Gee, your offices look all shiny and spiffy!

Ahhh, but Grasshopper, did you not know that when DND spends a couple of million dollars upgrading buildings and getting them to code, it's usually to sell them for half their worth, or worse, turn them over to a municipal gov't for a buck?