Category: CBO News

This year Black & McDonald commemorates 50 years of serving those who serve. Since 1973, B&M has successfully won and completed many projects for the Government of Canada, the Department of National Defence and Defence Construction Canada. 22 years later, in 1995, Canadian Base Operators was formed out of a partnership between B&M, founded in 1922, with corporate offices in Toronto, Ontario and Pacific Architects & Engineers (now Amentum), an American defense and government services contractor. CBO obtained its first contract at 4^th Canadian Division Training Centre at Meaford, Ontario – the first Department of National Defence military installation to be wholly contracted to a civilian provider for all facilities maintenance and logistics services. Recently CBO’s Meaford contract was successfully extended to 2031. Many of CBO’s achievements to-date include Facilities Maintenance and Operations subcontracts which support national security, Canada’s defence capabilities and strengthening the capabilities of our allied nations, namely: Contracted Flying Training and Support (CFTS) (2005 to 2027), the North Warning System (2014 to 2022), 15 Wing Moose Jaw NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) (2022 to 2028) and Future Aircrew Training in Canada (FAcT) (with an anticipated award and commencement in 2024).

“CBO’s mission is to deliver leading facilities maintenance and operations to the Canadian Defence sector. As a Canadian Armed Forces Veteran, it is an honour to continue to be part of the Defence industry knowing how integral it is to Canada. CBO is proud to serve those who serve.”

                                                        – Bryan Bedard, Operations Manager

Dedicated to those who serve and in recognition of the staff who contributed to this successful collaboration over the years, to read more about the history of B&M and CBO’s serving those who serve, a presentation describing our work can be found here.

As Remembrance Day approaches, CBO will be paying tribute to our employees who are Veterans. We would like to honour them and acknowledge their integral contribution to CBO operations. Through a series Veteran Q&A Spotlights, CBO will introduce our Veterans on staff followed by their responses to the Q&A.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day take place on September 30. CBO recognizes the importance of this date – it is a date to reflect on Truth and Reconciliation for our Indigenous neighbours, friends and colleagues, and to continue to acknowledge the history of Residential Schools and the profound impact they have had on generations of Indigenous Peoples across Canada. CBO team members at our headquarters in Collingwood, ON and Acden Base Operators (ABO) team members at Suncor Firebag Airport in Wood Buffalo, AB proudly wore their orange shirts in support of Truth and Reconciliation.

This beautiful mural was recently unveiled at Suncor’s Firebag Airport and graces the 60-foot-wide by 40-foot-high wall of the firehall. It was created by Keegan Starlight, an artist from Tssut’ina First Nation in Treaty 7 near Calgary. The mural was commissioned by Suncor to help strengthen its relationships with the Indigenous communities in the region and give the over 300,000 passengers that fly in and out of Firebag a year something to reflect on.

July 28, 2023—Ottawa, ON—SkyAlyne – a partnership between Canadian companies CAE and KF Aerospace – has been identified by the Government of Canada as its preferred bidder to manage the future training program for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).

The FAcT contract will cover all aspects of the required training and in-service support to train Canadian military pilots, Air Combat Systems Officers (ACSOs) and Airborne Electronic Sensor Operators (AES Ops).

From “day one” in 2020, CBO Southport has been honoured to be a corporate sponsor who keeps Eagle’s Wings Flight School (EWFS) in the air. EWFS is a registered Canadian charity and 100% volunteer run.  It is an “organization that is committed to helping at-risk youth find their passion and chart a pathway to success in early adulthood and beyond”.

CBO acknowledged and extended a special thanks to all of the CBO employees and other volunteers from the Meaford community who stepped up to lend a hand when the town was put under a limited water use direction in May 2023. On May 25^th, a fire broke out at a used car dealership and auto shop and due to the amount of POL (petroleum, oils, and lubricants) products and other contaminants on site, the town was under a “Do Not Consume” advisory for municipal water, along with an advisory to not swim in Georgian Bay. Over several days a number of CBO staff from our 4th Canadian Division Training Centre (CDTC) Meaford site volunteered to assist with bottled water distribution at the community centre, and CBO donated water to the municipality. The “Do Not Consume” and other advisories were lifted after a series of tests over 72 hours showed that water quality had met provincial standards. Thank you to everyone who helped!

CBO would like to acknowledge and share the recent success of Sandra Proulx, an Air Traffic Controller candidate with Midwest ATC Canada at Southport, Manitoba for recently graduating from the Aerodrome Controller Phase 1 and Phase 2 courses at the Canadian Forces School of Aerospace Control Operations (CFSACO) in Cornwall, Ontario. Sandra also received the distinguished LCol Gordon Stockwell Aerospace Controller VFR Top Student Award. “The LCol Stockwell Award is presented to the graduating Officer on the AEC Aerodrome Controller course who has displayed outstanding leadership, academic, and practical abilities for the post-core phase of Aerodrome Controller training and recognizes the student’s achievements and overall success.”

At our NFTC 15 Wing Moose Jaw site on April 7, 2023, CBO team members proudly participated in the Fifth Annual Green Shirt Day to promote the Logan Boulet Effect in support of organ donor awareness/registration across Canada. Green Shirt Day was created to honour, remember, and recognize all the victims and families of the Humboldt Broncos fatal crash and to continue Logan’s legacy by inspiring Canadians to talk to their families and register as organ donors. Green is the official colour of organ/tissue donation, symbolizing the hope organ donors provide to patients in need. In Canada, almost 90% of Canadians say they support organ donation, but only 32% have registered their intent to donate. Though donation rates have improved over the last ten years, there is more to be done as approximately 250 Canadians die annually waiting for an organ transplant. Well done team for taking part and showing your team spirit in support of such an important initiative.

CBO and our affiliates have worked hard throughout 2022, with staff going above and beyond by participating in numerous charitable events.
Throughout the year, our staff coordinated with local charities in the communities where CBO and our partners operate. From participating in Christmas toy runs, to donating to local food banks, to providing jerseys for the Arctic Bay community basketball team, our staff answered the call of duty to give back throughout 2022.