Vanguard Magazine

10 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019 www.vanguardcanada.com S Sit REp On January 14, 2019, Minister of Families, Children and Social Develop- ment Jean-Yves Duclos visited 2nd Canadian Division Support Base Val- cartier to witness the delivery of Canada's new logistics trucks. The Government of Canada through the Medium Support Vehicle Sys- tem (MSVS) project is procuring a new fleet of medium capacity logis- tics trucks to replace the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) current fleet of Medium Logistics Vehicle Wheeled (MLVW) trucks, which came in ser- vice back in the 1980s. Mack Defense was awarded two contracts in July 2015 – a total value of $834 million – to deliver new trucks, trailers, armour protection sys- tems and provide in-service support. More than 1500 trucks, 300 trail- Valcartier receives new trucks as part of MSVS project ers, and 150 armoured protection systems are expected to be delivered over the next two years to the CAF across Canada. Minister Duclos, attending the event in place of Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan, said these trucks, whether deployed for overseas operations or to provide support to local communities like during spring flooding, will help the CAF to get the job done. These types of vehicles are an important part of ground transportation for Regular and Reserve forces. They provide support to "nearly every do- mestic and international CAF operation, moving critical equipment, per- sonnel and supplies to wherever they need to be," according to a press release. About 450 of the trucks purchased will be based in Quebec to be used by CAF units, including Reserves. The trucks are in "five variants ranging in use and size from regular cargo to cargo trucks with a material han- dling crane," and can carry up to 9.5 tonnes. Through the MSVS project, Militarized Commercial Off-The-Shelf (MilCOTS) trucks, Shelters and Kit- ting of Shelters are completed, while Standard Military Pattern (SMP) trucks and minor infrastructure upgrades are ongoing. "Logistics trucks are an essential component for how our CAF mem- bers conduct their important work," said Minister Sajjan in a press state- ment. "That is why I am pleased to see these new and modern vehicles being delivered to Valcartier and other locations across Canada to replace and modernize the current fleet of medium weight logistic trucks that have reached the end of their service life." New green facilities for the Royal Canadian Dragoons As part of Canada's defence policy, Strong Secure Engaged, the Govern- ment of Canada is greening its defence infrastructure to reduce green- house gas emissions by 40 per cent from 2005 levels, by 2030. One way of doing so is through a new project that was announced on January 15 by William Amos, Member of Parliament for Pontiac. This project will provide new and enhanced facilities for the Royal Canadian Dragoons. As the most senior cavalry regiment in Canada, the Royal Ca- nadian Dragoons was established on December 21, 1883, in Quebec City, Quebec as the Cavalry School Corps and was later changed to Canadian Dragoons in May 1892. Based in Petawawa, Ontario, the regiment cur- rently serves as a regular force armoured unit in the 4th Canadian Divi- sion's 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group. "This pilot project represents the first time the Government of Cana- da will use the integrated project delivery approach for a construction project," according to a press release. This is a unique way to manage construction projects and deliver results faster by collaborating between industry and government. This type of approach was successfully used to deliver private sector infrastructure projects. "This new, modern infrastructure will also support our government's commitment to fighting climate change while providing good, middle- class jobs for residents," said Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan. With a value of $80.6 million, this project will provide about 225 jobs for the community during the construction period. The project will include the renovation of three existing buildings, and the replacement of eight old buildings with a single, centralized 9,900 square metre facility to ac- commodate vehicle maintenance, storage, logistics and training areas for daily operations. "By replacing aging infrastructure with updated green facilities, we're increasing our military's capabilities, lowering our carbon footprint, and creating jobs and economic opportunities for Eastern Ontario and West- ern Quebec," said Amos. Acting on behalf of DND, Defence Construction Canada (DCC) awarded the construction and design contracts to PCL Constructors Inc. and Archi- tecture49 Inc. A project team, which includes members from the Crown, the designer, and the builder will work on shortening the construction phase and delivering the project faster and at a better value. It is expected that the initial design and planning will be completed by fall 2019, with construction and renovations to commence by spring 2020. The facility is expected to be completed in 2021. According to the release, "the new building will meet Leadership in En- ergy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Silver standards and save an es- timated $4.6 million in operations and maintenance costs over 40 years."

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