CFB Halifax to get new $188M training facility

CFB Halifax will be getting a new $188-million training base.

National Defence Minister Bill Blair made the announcement at the Halifax International Security Forum on Friday.

"The centre is going to provide training armed forces memberswith the expertise they're going to require in above-water, underwater and maritime air fighting," Blair said during the announcement.

The $188 million will cover the cost of design, demolition, construction andpersonnel, a department news release noted. Blair said the goal is to have it completed by 2029.

The department said EllisDonCorporation of Halifax has been awarded a $7.85-million contract to design theCombatant Training and Integration Centre Atlantic.

It noted the centre "will house cutting-edge training systems to train Canadian sailors for the incoming fleet of Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) warships."

The department anticipates the centre will "sustain almost650 jobs" in the Halifax area while it's being built.

Blair also announced that Canada is going to spend $26.6 million over six years to establish the North American regional office for NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic in Halifax. The department expects it to open next summer.