CMFMAG TeamAbove image: Left, see below. Right, on behalf of the Minister of National Bill Blair, Parliamentary Secretary Marie-France Lalonde and 4th Canadian Division Support Group Commander Colonel Jason Guiney broke ground for the new centre at Garrison Petawawa on July 22, 2024. Image courtesy of Department of National Defence.
Military families at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa will be enjoying a new MFRC by the fall of 2026, according to a recent announcement.
Parliamentary Secretary Marie-France Lalonde on behalf of the Minister of Defence, Bill Blair was on hand in Petawawa for the groundbreaking ceremony.
Providing Support
“Providing our military personnel and their families with the support they need is a priority for our government,” stated Blair in a news release. “Through our renewed defence policy, Our North Strong and Free, we are providing the infrastructure necessary to cultivate community-focused, accessible, and holistic support services and programming on base. We will continue to invest in defence infrastructure that enables the health and readiness of our military personnel,” said Bill Blair, minister of national defence.
The $42 million facility will consolidate the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services Personnel Support Programs and Military Family Resource Centre from seven separate locations into a single facility for family support and wellness on the base. The building is expected to be completed in Fall 2026.
Providing a family-focused community hub featuring modern offices and recreation spaces to deliver high-quality and more efficient counselling, family services, and programming. There will also be daycare services on site for approximately 160 children. The new building is on the North Side, where the former Canex Mall was located.
Daycare, among other services, will be relocated from seven existing locations on the base, which are currently at capacity. This will allow for more accessible, integrated, and better-coordinated services for military families at Petawawa. The new facility will also consolidate military family support services, improve coordination of services, and make them more accessible for military families while providing modern workspaces for about 90 personnel.
New Building
The Minister noted the facility will be net-zero ready and built to
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver standards, contributing to the federal government’s target of being carbon neutral by 2050. The Department of National Defence stated in the news release that it has reduced greenhouse gas emissions from its buildings and non-military vehicles by 35.90 per cent across Canada, compared with 2005 levels.
“This new Military Family Resource Center will be an excellent addition to Canadian Forces Base Petawawa and the broader community of Canadian Armed Forces members living and working there,” proclaimed Lalonde. “Not only will this project feature green components to help reduce the government’s carbon footprint, this $42 million investment will provide economic opportunities and sustain 130 jobs for Petawawa,” said Lalonde.
The press release noted the new facility will allow for the future growth at 4 CDSB Petawawa, which has seen a nearly 40 per cent increase in population over the last 12 years.
On October 27, 2020, M. Sullivan and Sons Ltd., of Arnprior, ON, was awarded the design contract for this facility for $703,000.
Construction of the facility is expected to cost approximately $25 million.
The remainder of the funds will be used for project and contract management costs, information technology, office furniture, necessary equipment, groundworks, and the demolition of four buildings beyond economic repair.
