Editor,
Canada has committed to a generational expansion of its military and defense capabilities, achieving the NATO 2% of GDP defense spending target ahead of schedule and pledging to reach 5% of GDP by 2035 including 125,000 new careers.
The impact of the recent tragedy during training exercises at CFB Wainwright that left 4 dead and dozens injured will take time to assess but will undoubtedly have a negative impact on our training capabilities. At the same time a proposed pumped storage mega-project on the Army Training Centre-Central, a key year-round training facility for regular force and primary reserve soldiers, would require demolition of the current facilities and rebuilding in a new location. The current facilities are not obsolete and reconstruction will take years – time that Canada does not have if it is to meet its military commitments.
In addition to the impact on our defense targets, this project has divided our community and raises serious economic and environmental concerns. It was twice rejected by the IESO for lack of benefit to the Ontario taxpayer. It has ballooned from $2.2 billion to an estimated $8.5 to $10 billion and is opposed by most neighbouring municipalities, the Georgian Bay Association, the Federation of Ontario Cottagers Associations and many others.
Jim Brunow, Meaford
