Defence Watch has received a number of emails from DND/CF personnel over the last few weeks questioning the value of moving many of the DND and CF staff in the National Capital Region out to one location in the west end of Ottawa.
They say it is not only going to be too costly but it puts an additional burden of extra travel time on many of the personnel whom live in the eastern suburb of Orleans. In addition, there is the potential issue of security – they argue that 10,000 military and civilian staff in one location makes for a prime target – one stop shopping for terrorists so to speak.
But DND isn’t buying any of it. The Defence Department estimates it will save $50 million a year by moving most of its employees in the Ottawa area into the former Nortel Campus in the west end of the city.
Vice Admiral Bruce Donaldson says he hopes to have a plan outlining details of the move to the Carling Avenue site ready for presentation to government by the fall.
“We are still putting the plan together,” said Donaldson, who is vice chief of the defence staff. “It is one of the biggest moves I think ever in Canada of an organization.”
The Defence Department plans to spend more than $630 million preparing the former Nortel campus as the new home for around 10,000 of its employees. That cost is on top of the $208 million the federal government paid to buy the campus.
Donaldson said the move would provide long-term savings that can be reinvested into the Canadian Forces as it revamps the military for the future.
“It’s around $50 million a year that the business case gave us in terms of avoiding rent and this sort of thing,” said Donaldson. “I think we can save a lot more. It’s going to be an evolving thing.”
(By using Donaldson’s calculations the move should pay itself off in about 16 or 17 years).
Some DND officials have argued that security will actually improve in that it will be easier to control access to one location, instead of many scattered across Ottawa and Gatineau.
DND and the Canadian Forces have 42 office locations in Ottawa and Gatineau, according to DND documents.
DND is hoping the move to the Carling site will reduce the number of Defence Department and Canadian Forces locations in Ottawa and Gatineau to seven or less.
DND’s main headquarters, the Major-General George R. Pearkes Building on Colonel By Drive, as well as its facility on Star Top Road will continue to be used. The Pearkes building was originally intended for Transport Canada but in 1974 became DND headquarters.
DND’s presence in the Louis St. Laurent building, the National Printing Bureau building and the Hotel de Ville building in Gatineau will continue.
Original Article
Source: ottawa citizen
Author: David Pugliese
They say it is not only going to be too costly but it puts an additional burden of extra travel time on many of the personnel whom live in the eastern suburb of Orleans. In addition, there is the potential issue of security – they argue that 10,000 military and civilian staff in one location makes for a prime target – one stop shopping for terrorists so to speak.
But DND isn’t buying any of it. The Defence Department estimates it will save $50 million a year by moving most of its employees in the Ottawa area into the former Nortel Campus in the west end of the city.
Vice Admiral Bruce Donaldson says he hopes to have a plan outlining details of the move to the Carling Avenue site ready for presentation to government by the fall.
“We are still putting the plan together,” said Donaldson, who is vice chief of the defence staff. “It is one of the biggest moves I think ever in Canada of an organization.”
The Defence Department plans to spend more than $630 million preparing the former Nortel campus as the new home for around 10,000 of its employees. That cost is on top of the $208 million the federal government paid to buy the campus.
Donaldson said the move would provide long-term savings that can be reinvested into the Canadian Forces as it revamps the military for the future.
“It’s around $50 million a year that the business case gave us in terms of avoiding rent and this sort of thing,” said Donaldson. “I think we can save a lot more. It’s going to be an evolving thing.”
(By using Donaldson’s calculations the move should pay itself off in about 16 or 17 years).
Some DND officials have argued that security will actually improve in that it will be easier to control access to one location, instead of many scattered across Ottawa and Gatineau.
DND and the Canadian Forces have 42 office locations in Ottawa and Gatineau, according to DND documents.
DND is hoping the move to the Carling site will reduce the number of Defence Department and Canadian Forces locations in Ottawa and Gatineau to seven or less.
DND’s main headquarters, the Major-General George R. Pearkes Building on Colonel By Drive, as well as its facility on Star Top Road will continue to be used. The Pearkes building was originally intended for Transport Canada but in 1974 became DND headquarters.
DND’s presence in the Louis St. Laurent building, the National Printing Bureau building and the Hotel de Ville building in Gatineau will continue.
Original Article
Source: ottawa citizen
Author: David Pugliese
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