Yellowknife is set to become the home of a new national defence facility.
Defence Minister Bill Blair made the announcement on Wednesday afternoon alongside Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal, Premier R.J. Simpson and NWT MP Michael McLeod.
The planned multipurpose facility will be built in the city’s Engle Business District and will serve as the headquarters for the 1 Canadian Ranger Patrol Group (1 CRPG) and will also house Joint Task Force North’s technical services component.
The federal government has earmarked $136 million for construction and is slated for completion in the 2026-27 winter season. It will include offices, classrooms, an assembly space that doubles as a drill hall, exercise equipment, and space for vehicle maintenance and storage.
“This investment is just one more way that we are putting our military presence here in the North,” said Blair.
The announcement comes as part of the federal government’s updated national defence policy titled Our North, Strong and Free. The policy commits funding of $8.1 billion over the next five years, and $73 billion over the next 20 years to “enhance security in northern Canada and the Arctic”.
The funding includes a new network of operational support hubs, which will include airstrips, logistics facilities, and equipment, as well as stockpiles of material and spare parts.
Simpson expressed support for the federal government’s engagement with Indigenous governments and commitment to supporting the federal government on matters related to national defence. He said he’s looking forward to further discussions with both the federal and Indigenous governments about how the delivery of Canada’s new investments in the NWT will be delivered in a way that supports residents and strengthens communities across the territory.
NNSL Media raised the question of how quickly the infrastructure will be in place to keep up with the fast-changing international situation, given the existing activities of Russia and China in the Arctic.
Blair acknowledged the rapidly changing environment due to climate change, the activities of adversaries, and the impact of technology and emphasized the importance of defence and the need for more action. He mentioned that while the North now has a budget for this, it does take time to put the necessary infrastructure in place.
He didn’t give an exact timeline for completion of further projects.
Conservative MP Bob Zimmer, who was in Yellowknife at the same time the federal ministers were here, told NNSL Media that while he’s happy to see the federal government make the effort of prioritizing defence in the North, he’s skeptical about this just being another announcement with no action behind it.
“They’ve talked about spending billions and their report has a lot of great stuff in there about NORAD modernization and what we need to do to protect the Arctic and our sovereignty,” he said. “But if you look at (page 31) and the column for 2024-25, there’s a lot of zeros there. From their own website about NORAD modernization, they talk about defining what they need to do for three years until 2027 — I’m suspicious that they’re even doing that — and being fully operational by 2039.
“If this facility is supposed to be completed by 2027, I hope they prove me wrong. I’ve seen and heard a lot of promises, but very little infrastructure, very little getting done on the ground.”