Summerside base shutdown launches aerospace 25 years ago

The last few decadeshave seen a total transformation of the former CFB Summerside, from protests in the streets and yellow ribbons to a thriving aerospace sector housed within Slemon Park.

Slemon Park was named forAir Vice Marshall Roy Slemon and wasinitiallythe name of the residential part of the base. Later, when the base closed, Slemon Park Corporation came to encompass theentire site:hangars, runways, houses and all.

This year, the former base's first private tenant is celebrating 25 years in business.

Vector Aerospace, originally Atlantic Turbines, now employs more than 450 employees. Vector's workforce accounts for nearly halfof the 1,000employeesworking in Slemon Park on a daily basis.

Losing CFBSummerside, it appears, has had a silver lining.

Some now call it "the most successful base closure in Canadian history."

Base Bombshell

It was April 27, 1989 when the bombshell was dropped in the federal budget speech: CFBSummersidewas on a list of bases to close.

Within days, committees were struck and delegations from P.E.I. headed to Ottawa to make the case for saving CFBSummerside.

Base Bombshell

8 years ago

Duration 2:08

Reaction on April 27, 1989 to the surprise announcement in the federal budget that CFB Summerside was going to be closed.

A special task force put together a report showing how the closure would "devastate" the economy of Summerside and surrounding areas.

The report stated that four to five per cent of the total provincial population would be affected 33 per cent of the population of Summerside.

Summerside in Crisis

8 years ago

Duration 1:59

Just a few days after the base closure was announced, the city is already feeling the impact on May 3, 1989.

Yellow ribbons of protest

Prince Edward Islanders took to the streets to rally for the base, with yellow ribbons the symbol of support.

At one point, Premier Joe Ghiz even threatened to "sue" Ottawa over the closure of CFB Summerside.

CFB Demo

8 years ago

Duration 2:12

Summerside residents take to the streets wearing yellow ribbons to protest against the closure of CFB Summerside on October 16, 1989.

McDougall to the rescue

Summerside's salvation arrived in the form of former Islander Don McDougall.

At the time, McDougallwasan aerospace entrepreneur with years of experience working in the beer industry. He'd even taught highschool in Summerside.

'I tell people that Don brought the Blue Jays to Toronto and he brought Slemon Park to the Summerside area.' Cliff Campbell

McDougall went to the province with a proposal to turn the base facilities into a private, for-profit corporation.

"I tell people that Don brought the Blue Jays to Toronto and he brought Slemon Park to the Summerside area," joked Cliff Campbell, who worked on the transition with McDougall and became the first president of Slemon Park.

Within months, the federal governmenthad transferred the base, its assets and $15 million to McDougall's company. They were then turned over to the new Slemon Park Development Corporation, which committed to create 500 jobs within 10 years.

"The plan involved shareholder tenants, being actual shareholders of the company with an interest in developing the company and growing the company and creating jobs," recalled Campbell.

Aerospace 'centre of excellence'

The creation of Slemon Park Corporation marked the birth of P.E.I.'s aerospace sector.

"There was no centre in this part of the world that was totally dedicated to repair and overhaul of aircraft," explained Campbell.

Aerospace Takes Flight

8 years ago

Duration 6:27

Kathy Large reports on the new aerospace companies that have moved into Slemon Park in the wake of the base closure. November 25, 1991

Two firms were wooed to P.E.I. to set up shop at Slemon Park.

Atlantic Turbines Inc. would install engine repair facilities. Bendix-Avelex, a subsidiary of Allied Signal Inc. of New Jersey, now known as Honeywell, was setting up an avionic and repair facility.

Both received financial support from ACOA.

Atlantic Turbines later became Vector Aerospace. Today, Vector is among a dozen companies in the park doing over $400million in sales annually.

Vector just renewed its lease atSlemonPark for 15 years, and recently landed a 10-year extension of its contract with Jazz, one of the company's biggest customers.

Another wayto crunch the numbers: the aerospace centre that was launched on the former base now adds $149 million annually to the P.E.I. economy, with more than 1300 employees connected to the industry.

Saying good-bye

It seemed Summerside's economic fortunes were turning around, even asthe 200 military personnel and their families were leaving.

On May 6, 1991, the community held a parade to say, "Thank you."

CFB Farewell Parade

8 years ago

Duration 2:23

On May 6 1991, Summerside residents said farewell with a parade thanking the military volunteers who had been part of their community.

On June 10, 1991, Squadron 413 flew one last pass over CFB Summerside.

CFB Summerside Flyout

8 years ago

Duration 2:22

On June 10 1991, Search and Rescue Squadron 413 is on parade for the last time before leaving CFB Summerside forever.

CFB Summerside's final day was April 1, 1992 when thetransfer was complete.

CFB Final Day

8 years ago

Duration 2:02

A report from April 1st 1992, the final day of CFB Summerside.

A blessing in disguise

Almost 25 years later, the consensus is that Summerside is better off today than it would have been had the base remained open.

In addition to the blossoming of the aerospace industry,Summersidealso landed the federal tax centre in 1993, which would employ hundreds.

Twenty-seven years later, to see all of these vehicles and people and cars around, our efforts paid off. Basil Stewart

A 1995 report titled Summerside: Revisiting the Base Closures by Donald Savoie found that, "Summerside never went through the kind of painful economic adjustment that people had envisaged the day after the announcement that the base would close down."

In fact, one senior government official told Savoie that the base closure was viewed by many as a "blessing in disguise" after years of having the closure of the base hanging over Summerside's head.

The saying was that CFBSummersidehad now come to stand for "Come From Behind."

'Our efforts paid off'

Long-time mayor Basil Stewart agrees.

"We always seemed to be getting double-barreled, if you will," recalled Stewart.

"We'd try to convince the provincial or federal government for more business here in Summerside and it was always, 'You've got the base there, what more do you want?' And then if you try to convince the private sector to expand, well what happens if the base closes?So we seemed to be getting it from both sides."

Stewart frequently drives past both the tax centre and Slemon Park, and recalls the uphill battle it took at times to get to where the community is today.

"Twenty-seven years later, to see all of these vehicles and people and cars around, our efforts paid off," he smiled.