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The Québec-Labrador Peninsula is an ideal location for low level flying, due to its low population density and vast unpopulated areas. In fact, there is one interior flight training area covering about 130,000 km² of which 100,000 km² can be used at any given time.
The Institute of Environmental Monitoring and Research
As part of the negotiation process for the 1996 Memorandum of Understanding, the Department of National Defence (DND) established the Institute of Environmental Monitoring and Research. The Institute is an arms-length agency which is intended to review the environmental impacts of low level military training and conduct related research projects. The Institute is chaired by a biologist at the University of Moncton. Other members are appointed by local committees, development associations and aboriginal groups in Labrador and northern Québec. It is anticipated that the Institute’s role will expand as more projects (e.g., ecological knowledge and the effects of noise) are undertaken.
Economic Benefits and Impacts
A report commissioned by the Institute indicated that CFB Goose Bay directly employed about 487 Canadians in 1999 at a total payroll of $21.0 million.
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Employment and Expenditures at
CFB 5 Wing Goose Bay, 1999 |
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Employment |
Salaries |
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(Person years) |
($million) |
| DND personnel |
91 |
6.7 |
| Civilian (public and private sectors) |
84 |
2.5 |
| SERCo (operations and maintenance) |
312 |
11.8 |
| Allied permanent personnel |
245 |
7.3 |
| Allied transient personnel (actual number) |
8,000 |
4.4 |
Operations, maintenance and construction
(total cost) |
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43.4 |
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Source: AMEC Earth and Environmental Inc. and Gardner Pinfold Consulting Economists Ltd. for the Institute for Environmental Monitoring and Research, October 2000 |
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Photo: Geoff Goodyear
German Luftwaffe Tornados on the South Ramp at 5 Wing following a Trans-Atlantic flight April 2000 |
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Allied air forces maintained 245 permanent positions, and about 8,000 transient personnel were stationed at Goose Bay. It is estimated that activity at CFB Goose Bay generates (including spinoffs) 1,728 person years of employment, $90.1 million in provincial GDP, and $28.5 million in government revenue.
Looking Forward
Activity at CFB Goose Bay is expected to increase in the future. The signing of the memorandum by Italy; the possibility of continued training by new participants after their 2001 trial deployment; potential of new activities (e.g., supersonic flying, helicopter training, and winter survival training); an increased presence of the Royal Canadian Air Force; and a stable labour environment should allow for increased military expenditures over time.
Italy is expected to invest about $20 million in a new hangar, accommodations and related facilities in 2002/03 to support its flight training program. It is expected that the DND will commence negotiations in early 2004 to renew the international agreement to allow for continued military activity at CFB Goose Bay beyond 2006, when the current memorandum terminates. |
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