Armoury receives funding boost from feds

By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express

The home of the Ontario Regiment is about to receive a bit of a facelift thanks to a $2.4-million federal investment in the R.S. McLaughlin Armoury.

Oshawa MP Colin Carrie, along with associate minister of national defense Julian Fantino, was on hand at the Armoury to make the recent announcement that will see money flow toward new windows, a new HVAC system and upgrades to the electrical and sprinkler systems in the century-old facility.

Currently, the armoury is used as a training and recruitment centre for the Ontario Regiment.

“It’s part of our heritage, part of our past, but I think what’s important for us here in Oshawa. The armoury here serves as an anchor for our local reservists,” Carrie said. “To be part of this investment today, restoring part of our history and our heritage and moving forward into the future, I’m very proud of that.”

Oshawa Mayor John Henry was also on hand for the announcement and praised the federal government for showing their support of the Canadian forces.

“It’s about the men and women that walk through the door, into this building that go and do great deeds all over the world,” he said. “The regiment is located and based in Oshawa, but it’s more than that. Young people come from all over the region to learn their skills as citizen soldiers, then they go around the world to defend the rights of individuals in other countries.”

Fantino said much of the same, praising the Ontario Regiment’s long history.

“The men and women from this particular regiment have contributed greatly in Canada’s missions in many different places and still do today,” he said.

The investment in the armoury is part of a $452-million infrastructure investment announced by the Harper government in 2014. The money was handed to the Department of National Defense strictly to be used for repair and upgrades to Canadian Forces facilities.

According to government estimates, the investments will create more than 10,000 jobs across the country by the end of 2016, something Oshawa is in need of with the disappearance of thousands of manufacturing jobs.

“All of the work that is being done as a result of this $452-million investment in military infrastructure across the country will be done by local contractors,” Fantino says. “It’ll be a boost to the local economy, which is always very important to us.”