CFB Valcartier

Valcartier (W/C J.H.L. (Joe) Lecomte) Heliport CFB Valcartier Base des Forces canadiennes Valcartier
Actros Armoured Heavy Support Vehicle System trucks in Valcartier
IATA: YOY – ICAO: CYOY
Summary
Airport type		Military
Owner		Government of Canada
Operator		DND
Location		Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, Quebec
Built		1914
Commander		Colonel Jean-Marc Lanthier
Occupants		5 CMBG
Elevation AMSL		550 ft / 168 m
Coordinates		46°54′10″N 071°30′13″W
Website		www.army.forces.gc.ca/5gbmc
Map
CYOY Location of CFB Valcartier in Quebec
Helipads
Number	Length		Surface
	ft	m
1	150	46	n/a
Source: Canada Flight Supplement

Canadian Forces Base Valcartier is a Canadian Forces Base located in the municipality of Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, approximately 25 km (16 mi) north of Quebec City. It is home to the 5th Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group.

Origins

Le chez nous du soldat" – a soldiers' canteen in 1918

CFB Valcartier was originally erected as a military training camp in August 1914 as part of the mobilization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force at the onset of World War I. The site was also used as an internment camp for "enemy aliens", mainly eastern Europeans. The name Valcartier comes from the town of Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, of which a large section was expropriated in order to create the military training camp. Due to its proximity to the Port of Quebec, Valcartier became the largest military camp on Canadian soil, including some 32,000 men and 8,000 horses.

In 1968, after unification of the Canadian Forces, the title 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group was assigned to the brigade group established in CFB Valcartier.

Military presence

Postcard of the tents hastily erected to accommodate thousands of troops during the First World War

Currently, Valcartier Garrison is home to the 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group.

The following units are stationed at Valcartier:

• Headquarters and Signals Squadron (Quartier général et escadron de transmissions)
• 5^e Régiment d'artillerie légère du Canada
• 12^e Régiment blindé du Canada (12 RBC)
• 5 Combat Engineer Regiment (5^e Régiment du génie de combat)
• 1st Battalion, Royal 22^e Régiment
• 2nd Battalion, Royal 22^e Régiment
• 3rd Battalion, Royal 22^e Régiment
• 5 Military Police Platoon (5^e Peloton de police militaire)
• 5 Field Ambulance (5^e Ambulance de campagne)

The base also houses 430 Tactical Helicopter Squadron, 5 Service Battalion (which also provides services from ASU Saint-Jean and CFB Montreal), CI SQFT (Land Force Quebec Area Training Centre), in addition to providing training facilities for most Quebec-based reserve units. The Myriam Bédard Biathlon Training Centre is also located on the base.

CFB Valcartier is also home to a Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) location, which conducts military research for the Canadian Forces.

Cadets

The Governor General and his prime minister inspecting troops in 1940

ASU Valcartier is also home of the Army Cadet Summer Training Centre Valcartier, which trains Royal Canadian Army Cadets of the Eastern Region / Province of Quebec.

In July 1974, an explosives safety training accident involving "D" Company killed six cadets and injured over 50. A coroners inquiry found the instructor criminally responsible. An account of the explosion, its cause and effects are detailed in the book As You Were: The Tragedy at Valcartier, published by Goose Lane Editions

Contaminated water

In 1997 a cancer-causing chemical, trichloroethylene, was found in the water supply of CFB Valcartier and the nearby town of Shannon, Quebec. Trichloroethylene, which has been linked to liver cancer, was used for degreasing metal parts at the base in the 1970s. The Department of National Defence, which was accused of a cover-up, reached a legal settlement with the town in 2004.