122-666: Canadian Forces Base North Bay , also CFB North Bay , is an air force base located at the City of North Bay , Ontario about 350 km (220 mi) north of Toronto . The base is subordinate to 1 Canadian Air Division , Winnipeg , Manitoba , and is the centre for North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) operations in Canada, under the Canadian NORAD Region Headquarters, also in Winnipeg. It
244-466: A de Havilland DH.60 Moth took place on 4 July 1938, in the midst of construction. The first official landing occurred 30 September 1938, by Squadron Leader Robert Dodds , RCAF, to inspect the work. A Royal Flying Corps fighter pilot during the First World War, and close associate of Squadron Leader Tudhope during the latter's exploration and survey of Canada, Dodds had been seconded by DND to
366-457: A horsecar system, overtaken in the 1890s by a vast electric streetcar system that operated until 1959. The Hull–Ottawa fire of 1900 destroyed two-thirds of Hull, including 40 percent of its residential buildings and most of the buildings of its largest employers along the waterfront. It began as a chimney fire in Hull on the north side of the river, but due to wind, spread rapidly throughout
488-476: A land claim submitted by the Algonquins of Ontario regarding the unceded status of the land on which Ottawa is situated. Negotiations have been ongoing, with an eventual goal to sign a treaty that would release Canada from claims for misuse of land under Algonquin title , affirm rights of the Algonquins, and negotiate conditions of the title transfer. Ottawa's city limits have expanded over time, including
610-544: A 16-year mandate. From 1931 to 1958, City Hall had been at the Transportation Building adjacent to Union Station (now part of the Rideau Centre ). In 1958, a new City Hall opened on Green Island near Rideau Falls, where urban renewal had recently transformed this industrial location into a green space. In 2001, Ottawa City Hall returned downtown to a 1990 building on 110 Laurier Avenue West,
732-487: A No. 313 Ferry Training Unit B-25 Mitchell crashed, killing pilots Flying Officer Leslie William Laurence Davies of England and Flight Sergeant William Gribbin of Scotland. Both men are buried in North Bay cemeteries. This was also the first fatal crash of an aircraft, civilian or military, at North Bay's airport and in the North Bay area. Royal Canadian Air Force Station North Bay was founded on 1 September 1951, part of
854-606: A broad Indigenous people who are closely related to the Odawa and Ojibwe peoples. This period ended with the arrival of settlers and colonization of North America by Europeans during and after the 15th century. In 1610, Étienne Brûlé became the first documented European to navigate the Ottawa River , passing what would become Ottawa on his way to the Great Lakes . Three years later, Samuel de Champlain wrote about
976-503: A cave almost 1.5x longer than an American football field and nearly 5 storeys tall. On 1 April 1993, all air bases in Canada were redesignated as wings; the base was renamed 22 Wing/Canadian Forces Base North Bay. This is abbreviated as 22 Wing/CFB North Bay. Today, although this designation still stands, the base is often referred to simply as "22 Wing", and the Base Commander as the " Wing Commander ". North Bay's air force base
1098-547: A checkpoint. Leckie's and Hobbs's encounter with North Bay was fleeting. They arrived without warning, approaching out of the east, catching residents unaware. Few had seen an aircraft before; the effect was electrifying, akin to the Space Shuttle appearing suddenly over the city today. Leckie steered for the downtown. Over the Canadian Pacific Railway station he dropped a signal to be telegraphed to
1220-602: A continent are usually nuclear-tipped, aimed to destroy cities, military bases and industrial installations). Today, CFB North Bay is responsible for the air defence of all of Canada's skies, and, in concert with the United States, the skies over the Canadian-U.S. portion of the North American continent, an airspace about twice the size of Europe. The seeds of this important work were sown over 60 years ago in
1342-503: A crucial role in shaping the development of the city. Around the main urban area is an extensive greenbelt , administered by the NCC for conservation and leisure, and comprising mostly forest, farmland and marshland. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Ottawa had a population of 1,017,449 living in 407,252 of its 427,113 total private dwellings, a change of 8.9% from its 2016 population of 934,243 . With
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#17327910554851464-697: A day below freezing at night every other year, conversely a day surpassing 30 °C Annual rainfall averages around 750mm per year, total precipitation 938mm spread throughout the year, with some variation. May through November are the months more likely to see significant precipitation events, with each month having an average of 3 days of over 1 cm of precipitation, with December through April seeing on average 1–2 days. May through November have, on average, over 8 cm of rainfall per month, with peaks of approximately 9 cm in June and September. December through April have less than 8 cm, with February being
1586-678: A diesel-powered light rail transit (LRT) line was introduced on an experimental basis. Known today as the Trillium Line , it was dubbed the O-Train and connected downtown Ottawa to the southern suburbs via Carleton University . The decision to extend the O-Train, and to replace it with an electric light rail system, was a major issue in the 2006 municipal elections , where Chiarelli was defeated by businessman Larry O'Brien . After O'Brien's election, transit plans were changed to establish
1708-625: A headquarters in North Bay to supervise construction of emergency landing fields for the Ottawa to Port Arthur (now Thunder Bay ) portion of the Trans-Canada Airway system. An 18-man unit operated out of the Dominion Rubber Company building, leased on Oak Street, downtown North Bay, which served as their headquarters, supply depot and living quarters. Unemployed men in each local district were hired as labour. Despite
1830-517: A large expansion effective 1 January 2001, when the province of Ontario amalgamated all the constituent municipalities of the Regional Municipality of Ottawa–Carleton into a single city. Regional Chair Bob Chiarelli was elected as the new city's first mayor in the 2000 municipal election , defeating Gloucester mayor Claudette Cain. The city's growth led to strains on the public transit system and road bridges. On 15 October 2001,
1952-534: A legislative solution to the location of the capital. The governor-general of the province had designated Kingston as the capital in 1841. However, the major population centres of Toronto and Montreal , as well as the former capital of Lower Canada, Quebec City , all had legislators dissatisfied with Kingston. Anglophone merchants in Quebec were the leading group supportive of the Kingston arrangement. In 1842,
2074-685: A mayor elected city-wide. Ottawa has the highest proportion of university-educated residents among Canadian cities and is home to several colleges and universities, research and cultural institutions, including the University of Ottawa , Carleton University , Algonquin College , Collège La Cité , the National Arts Centre , the National Gallery of Canada ; and numerous national museums , monuments, and historic sites. It
2196-619: A more practical "Truck, Panel, Delivery". The biggest impact on the airport during the war was delivered by the Royal Air Force (RAF). In November 1940 a grand, dangerous experiment had been conducted. Masses of new, desperately needed aircraft shipped from Canada and Newfoundland for the war effort in Britain were being lost in the Atlantic Ocean , their cargo vessels sunk by German U-boats . To reduce these losses an idea
2318-565: A national air highway network. Considering that Canada was nearly the size of Europe and mostly raw, primal wilderness, Tudhope's undertaking was staggering. In 1930, S/L Tudhope received the McKee Trophy for his endeavours, the premier aviation award in Canada. In 1928, Tudhope stopped twice at North Bay, and again in 1931 and 1932. Based on his exploration and survey work in the Northern Ontario region, in June 1933 DND set up
2440-463: A proper control tower ; air traffic control radio and radar systems; and fuel, oil, lubricant and weapons facilities for military aircraft; plus improvements to the runways, taxiways and aprons. In fact, North Bay was outfitted with a 10,000-foot runway, one of the longest in Canada, for reasons other than air defence: during war, the base was also a designated recovery site for American bombers returning damaged and/or short of fuel from nuclear strikes on
2562-569: A series of light rail stations from the east side of the city into downtown, and for using a tunnel through the downtown core. Jim Watson , the last mayor of Ottawa before amalgamation, was re-elected in the 2010 election . In October 2012, the City Council approved the final Lansdowne Park plan, an agreement with the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group that saw a new stadium, increased green space and housing and retail added to
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#17327910554852684-418: A tiny radar unit, crammed into a small clutch of trucks. North Bay's first air defence ground unit was 6 Aircraft Control & Warning Unit (abbreviated as "6 AC&WU"). Created on 4 February 1952, just four months after the base was born, the unit was equipped with Second World War-vintage British Air Ministry Experimental System (AMES) 11C radar equipment. Intended to be mobile, to move and operate wherever
2806-467: A vote rejected Kingston as the capital, and study of potential candidates included the then-named Bytown, but that option proved less popular than Toronto or Montreal. In 1843, a report of the Executive Council recommended Montreal as the capital as a more fortifiable location and commercial centre; however, the governor-general refused to execute a move without a parliamentary vote. In 1844,
2928-538: Is 26.7 °C (80 °F). The average January minimum temperature is −14.0 °C (6.8 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Ottawa was 37.8 °C (100 °F) on 4 July 1913, 1 August 1917 and 11 August 1944. Summers are generally warm and humid in Ottawa. On average, there are 11 days across the three summer months of June, July and August that have temperatures exceeding 30 °C (86 °F). Periods of hotter weather are normally accompanied by high humidity levels Snow and ice are dominant during
3050-654: Is also home to the 1 Air Force, Detachment 2 of the United States Air Force . 22 Wing/Canadian Forces Base North Bay is the most important military base in Canada with respect to the continental air defence of North America and the country's air sovereignty. It is also home to one of the most unusual military installations in North America, the NORAD Underground Complex, an installation built over 60 storeys underground inside
3172-493: Is one of the most visited cities in Canada, with over 11 million visitors annually contributing more than $ 2.2B to the city's economy. The city name Ottawa was chosen in 1855 in reference to the Ottawa River , whose name is itself derived from the Algonquin adawe , meaning "to trade." In modern Algonquin, the city is known as Odàwàg . The Ottawa Valley became habitable around 10,000 years ago, following
3294-682: Is situated on the south bank of the Ottawa River and contains the mouths of the Rideau River and Rideau Canal . The Rideau Canal (Rideau Waterway) first opened in 1832 and is 202 km (126 mi) long. It connects the Saint Lawrence River on Lake Ontario at Kingston to the Ottawa River near Parliament Hill. It was able to bypass the unnavigable sections of the Cataraqui and Rideau rivers and various small lakes along
3416-563: Is the capital city of Canada . It is located in the southern portion of the province of Ontario , at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River . Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec , and forms the core of the Ottawa–Gatineau census metropolitan area (CMA) and the National Capital Region (NCR). As of 2021, Ottawa had a city population of 1,017,449 and a metropolitan population of 1,488,307, making it
3538-596: Is the centre for the air defence of the entire country, and works in concert with the United States via NORAD for the air defence of Canada-U.S. portion of the North American continent. Activities are wide-ranging, from identifying and monitoring all aircraft entering Canada from overseas, to guarding foreign dignitaries travelling in the country's airspace, to assisting aircraft suffering airborne emergencies, to aiding law enforcement versus smugglers, to participating in NORAD's Christmas Eve Tracking of Santa Claus for children. From
3660-451: Is the only Canadian air base that does not have flying units (as of August 1992, when the last flying squadron departed), and the only air base in the country that does not have an airfield (base assets such as control tower, fuel depot and hangars were demolished or sold following the 1992 departure). North Bay's first contact with the air force took place on 9 October 1920, when a Government of Canada Felixstowe F.3 flying boat overflew
3782-641: The Air Board in Ottawa, "Making a good 50 miles per hour", then with a wave to lunchtime onlookers, the pilots swung their F.3 out over nearby Lake Nipissing , onwards to Sault Ste. Marie. The overflight planted interest in local politicians, businessmen and community leaders towards aviation, particularly the establishment of an air station at North Bay. In the summer of 1921, a Government of Canada Curtiss HS-2L flying boat, taking on exploration and aerial survey work, landed at North Bay, on Lake Nipissing. The HS-2L landed on Lake Nipissing and Trout Lake (on
CFB North Bay - Misplaced Pages Continue
3904-571: The Department of Transport as Inspector of Airways and Aerodromes for the country. On 28 November 1938, the long sought after airport was ready to receive aircraft; due to bad weather regular passenger service at the facility did not begin until May 1939. Despite a common, popular misconception that Royal Canadian Air Force Station North Bay was formed during the Second World War , the air base didn't exist until 1951. In October 1939,
4026-748: The Grand Trunk Railway opened both the Château Laurier hotel and its neighbouring downtown Union Station . On 3 February 1916, the Centre Block of the Parliament buildings was destroyed by a fire . The House of Commons and Senate was temporarily relocated to the recently constructed Victoria Memorial Museum, now the Canadian Museum of Nature until the completion of the new Centre Block in 1922. The centrepiece of
4148-605: The Queen 's acceptance of a parliamentary vote moved the capital to Montreal. In 1849, after violence in Montreal , a series of votes was held, with Kingston and Bytown again considered potential capitals. However, the successful proposal was for two cities to share capital status and the legislature to alternate sitting in each: Quebec City and Toronto, in a policy known as perambulation. Logistical difficulties made this an unpopular arrangement, and although an 1856 vote passed for
4270-563: The United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry ; and on the north by the Regional County Municipality of Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais and the City of Gatineau. The main suburban areas extend a considerable distance to the east, west and south of the inner-city. These areas also include the former cities of Cumberland, Gloucester, Kanata and Nepean. The towns of Stittsville and Richmond within
4392-462: The War of 1812 . Colonel By set up military barracks on the site of today's Parliament Hill . He also laid out the streets of the town and created two distinct neighbourhoods named "Upper Town" west of the canal and " Lower Town " east of the canal. Similar to its Upper Canada and Lower Canada namesakes, historically, "Upper Town" was predominantly English-speaking and Protestant, whereas "Lower Town"
4514-418: The ethnic enclaves of Chinatown and Little Italy . Modern Ottawa is made up of eleven historic townships, ten of which are from the former Carleton County and one from the former Russell County . Ottawa city limits are bounded on the east by the United Counties of Prescott and Russell ; by Renfrew County and Lanark County in the west; on the south by the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville and
4636-522: The fourth-largest city and fourth-largest metropolitan area in Canada. Ottawa is the political centre of Canada and the headquarters of the federal government. The city houses numerous foreign embassies , key buildings, organizations, and institutions of Canada's government ; these include the Parliament of Canada , the Supreme Court , the residence of Canada's viceroy , and Office of
4758-533: The "Cold War", both sides had weapons pointed at each other—by 1949 nuclear weapons. The main adversaries were the Soviet Union and the United States. Canada lay between the two, meaning Soviet bombers would cross Canadian territory to strike at the United States, while U.S. fighters would swarm Canada to shoot them down. Whether the country liked it or not, in a war it would become a major nuclear battleground. For this reason, plus its long-standing friendship with
4880-515: The (then) town during the first crossing of Canada by aircraft. (North Bay was not incorporated as a city until 1925.) The F.3's pilots were Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Leckie , of Toronto, and Major Basil Deacon Hobbs , of Sault Ste. Marie. The trans-Canada expedition was an epic venture, lasting 11 days and requiring six aircraft. The third leg was flown non-stop from the Canadian capital, Ottawa , to Sault Ste. Marie , Ontario, with North Bay as
5002-712: The 1850s, entrepreneurs known as lumber barons began to build large sawmills, which became some of the largest mills in the world. Rail lines built in 1854 connected Ottawa to areas south and, from 1886 to the transcontinental rail network via Hull and Lachute , Quebec. By 1885 Ottawa was the only city in Canada whose downtown street-lights were powered entirely by electricity. In 1889, the Government developed and distributed 60 "water leases" (still in use) to mainly local industrialists which gave them permission to generate electricity and operate hydroelectric generators at Chaudière Falls . Public transportation began in 1870 with
CFB North Bay - Misplaced Pages Continue
5124-480: The 21st Century. The sole purpose of the air force base at North Bay is air defence, to monitor and protect the skies. At first this was limited to around North Bay, then expanded to the Northern Ontario area of Canada, then east, central and Arctic Canada, and finally all of Canada, the latter an area the size of Europe. Between the base's birth in 1951 to 1964, as well as the operational training unit, it
5246-520: The 82 kilometres (50 miles) to Prescott on the Saint Lawrence River and beyond. Ottawa's small size was also thought to be less prone to politically motivated mob violence, as had happened in the previous Canadian capitals . Finally, the government already owned the land that eventually became Parliament Hill , which it thought would be an ideal location for the Parliament buildings. The original Parliament buildings, which included
5368-548: The BOMARCs in Canada during the 1960s and early 1970s are also considered air defence ground units. SAMs of course are used only in war, or if an isolated attack (such as the 9/11 attacks ) is made during peacetime. In war, the air defence ground units monitoring the skies may use surface-to-air missiles as well as fighters to intercept and shoot down hostile aircraft and any air-to-surface missiles (ASMs) launched by those aircraft (especially since ASMs launched against countries or
5490-581: The British when the Royal Air Force departed at the end of the Second World War were demolished and replaced. The base had the biggest impact on the community since the linking of railways with North Bay in the early 20th century. Construction, services and contracts for the base infused millions of dollars into the community, and by the end of November 1953 the RCAF station was the leading employer in
5612-611: The Canadian government announced that North Bay's fledgling airport, open less than 12 months, was in contention as a British Empire Air Training Plan site. The BEATP (eventually renamed the " British Commonwealth Air Training Plan ", or "BCATP") was the biggest international military aircrew training operation in history. There were more aircrew training schools in Britain, but the BCATP taught and evaluated 131,553 pilot , navigator , observer , wireless (radio) operator, air gunner , wireless air gunner and flight engineer recruits from around
5734-523: The Canadian government for an airport. At issue was money; who would finance the project. On 21 March 1938, their perseverance paid off. The Canadian government approved expenditure of funds to build an airport at North Bay . The Province of Ontario and City of North Bay would provide the land. It would be a Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA) facility; TCA was the country's government-operated air line (and forerunner of Air Canada ). On 27 April 1938, work began. The first unofficial landing by two area residents in
5856-406: The Canadian government. Mass flying finished, the air traffic controllers were posted out and North Bay's airport returned to its sleepy, low-key pre-war state, and so it would remain until birth of the air base in 1951. Despite the thousands of military flights transiting through North Bay and training for trans-oceanic flying, there were only 11 crashes, with only one being fatal. On 28 April 1945,
5978-586: The Centre, East and West Blocks, were constructed between 1859 and 1866 in the Gothic Revival style . At the time, this was the largest North American construction project ever attempted and Public Works Canada and its architects were not initially well prepared for the relatively shallow-lying bedrock and had to redesign architectural drawings, leading to delays. The Library of Parliament and Parliament Hill landscaping were completed in 1876. Starting in
6100-485: The Global Positioning System (GPS) did not exist. To get lost over Canada presented airmen with the prospect of running out of fuel and having to eject or crash-land in some of the wildest territory in North America. Wrecks and bodies were sometimes not found for weeks, months or years; some have never been found. To give an idea of the roughness of the Canadian wilderness: even though authorities knew
6222-732: The National Capital Region, to make it more aesthetically pleasing and a location more befitting for Canada's political centre. Greber's plan included the creation of the National Capital Greenbelt , the Kichi Zibi Mikan and the Queensway highway system. His plan also called for changes in institutions such as moving downtown Union Station (now the Senate of Canada Building ) to the suburbs,
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#17327910554856344-559: The North Atlantic. Nevertheless, on the evening of 10 November 1940, the experiment began; seven twin-engine Lockheed Hudson light bombers lifted off from Gander , Newfoundland en route for Britain. The odds were deemed so poor that only four of the bombers were expected to succeed. Yet the following morning, engines sucking their last gallons of fuel, all seven bombers arrived safely in Northern Ireland. Inspired,
6466-530: The Parliament Buildings' gothic revival architecture. Ottawa's domestic architecture contains single-family homes, but also includes smaller numbers of semi-detached houses, rowhouses , and apartment buildings . Many domestic buildings in Centretown are clad in red brick, with trim in wood, stone, or metal; variations are common, depending on the cultural heritage of the neighbourhoods and
6588-537: The Prime Minister . Founded in 1826 as Bytown , and incorporated as Ottawa in 1855, its original boundaries were expanded through numerous annexations and were ultimately replaced by a new city incorporation and amalgamation in 2001. The municipal government of Ottawa is established and governed by the City of Ottawa Act of the Government of Ontario . It has an elected city council across 24 wards and
6710-444: The Royal Air Force commenced large-scale ferrying of aircraft. A training school for ferry aircrews was set up at Dorval , Quebec , outside Montreal , but by 1942 Dorval's airspace had become crowded with military aircraft. A new training site was set up at North Bay, taking advantage of the uncluttered skies and freedom from major built-up areas that had made the airport an ideal BEATP/BCATP candidate. On 1 June 1942, ground around
6832-412: The Soviet Union. A side effect of having this runway, decades later North Bay was selected as an emergency site for NASA's Space Shuttle, and periodically, due to the long runway and relatively isolated location, free of air traffic and built-up areas, plus security offered by the military, NASA used North Bay's airfield for research into different fields of aviation. Across Airport Road, the main route to
6954-958: The Space Surveillance Operations Centre (SSOC), in North Bay's operations centre. The SSOC, in turn, coordinates with the Joint Space Operations Center , in Vandenberg, California. On 25 February 2013, Sapphire was launched from a site in India, and underwent technical testing and checks, expected to begin its duties in July 2013. Due to various technical delays, the satellite's FOC (Final Operational Certification) wasn't achieved until 30 January 2014. By end of that year it had delivered 1.2 million observations of space objects. 22 Wing/CFB North Bay has two unique properties among air bases in Canada. It
7076-428: The United States, Canada embarked on a nationwide development of its air defences, dovetailed with America's expansion of its own defences (which included building and manning numerous air defence radar sites on Canadian soil). North Bay's air force base was a piece of this development. A massive building campaign began in 1951 around North Bay's tiny airport, including construction of an additional, larger double hangar;
7198-671: The ability to hunt other aircraft in any weather, night or day, making the CF-100 the preeminent interceptor among global air forces when it began service with the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1952. Nos. 419, 433 and 414 Squadrons also flew CF-100 interceptors. CF-100s also flew with the RCAF in Europe on NATO deployments. North Bay's last fighter unit, 414 Squadron, was re-armed with the CF-101 Voodoo in 1962, flying
7320-406: The air base at North Bay. 414 Squadron, North Bay's last fighter squadron, was disbanded in June 1964, partly due to government cuts to the RCAF, and partly due to a change in the strategy for the air defence of North America, that Soviet nuclear-weapon armed bombers should be stopped as far from the North American landmass as possible. Better to fight the war (especially one of nuclear weapons) over
7442-419: The air force needed it, 6 AC&WU worked inside a handful of van-size trucks. It stood sentinel over the skies in a circle of about 120 miles (190 kilometers) centered on the base at North Bay; its assignments were to detect all aircraft entering this area; evaluate who they were and if they posed a threat; provide early warning to RCAF Station North Bay of hostile, suspicious and unidentified aircraft; and guide
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#17327910554857564-414: The air station's jet fighters by radio to intercept these aircraft. Canadian Forces base Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 254896467 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 10:50:55 GMT Ottawa Ottawa
7686-404: The airfield from the City of North Bay, the rugged Northern Ontario terrain was cleared and the support infrastructure for the station built—headquarters, barracks, dining hall, messes, hospital, gym, motor pool, supply, firehall, RCAF police guardhouse, Protestant and Roman Catholic chapels, married quarters for air force families, and much more. The majority of facilities donated to the airfield by
7808-405: The airport was cleared and tents set up for RAF Ferry Command 's Trans-Atlantic Training Unit. Five Hudson bombers arrived shortly afterwards. Over the next three years, the unit—renamed No. 313 Ferry Training Unit in 1943—taught hundreds of aircrew, in three to four-week courses, the techniques and procedures of transatlantic flying , and how to solve in-flight problems and emergencies. The size of
7930-405: The airport. Under the command of a Flying Officer (today's rank, Lieutenant ), two aeroengine mechanics, an electrician and an airframe mechanic re-fuelled, serviced and repaired the aircraft. A driver and vehicle mechanic saw to the detachment's staff car, aircraft towing tractor and 1,000-imperial-gallon (4,500 L; 1,200 US gal) fuel truck. The staff car was eventually replaced by
8052-480: The area: 1,018 military personnel plus over 160 civilians. This status would continue for four decades, until the departure of the last flying squadron from North Bay in 1992 and subsequent downsizing of the air base. At its peak, the air base had a strength of about 2,200 military and civilian personnel. (Base strength, as of June 2011, was 540 Regular Force , 77 Reserve Force , 34 United States Air Force and over 100 civilian personnel.) The air base's raison d'etre
8174-410: The bustling commercial and cultural areas of Old Ottawa South, Centretown , Lower Town , and Sandy Hill , the affluent tree-lined neighbourhoods of The Glebe , Westboro , and New Edinburgh , and the historically blue-collar communities of Hintonburg , Mechanicsville , Carlington , and LeBreton Flats , with a mixture of housing types, artist lofts, and industrial uses. The old city also includes
8296-471: The canal and the rivers. Across the canal to the west lie both Centretown and Downtown Ottawa , which share a border along Gloucester Street. These core neighbourhoods contain streets such as Elgin and Bank , which fill the role of commercial main streets in the region. Centretown is next to downtown, which includes a substantial economic and architectural government presence across multiple branches of government. The legislature 's work takes place in
8418-622: The city of Gatineau , itself the result of amalgamation of the former Quebec cities of Hull and Aylmer . Although formally and administratively separate cities in two different provinces, Ottawa and Gatineau (along with several nearby municipalities) collectively constitute the National Capital Region , which is considered a single metropolitan area. One federal Crown corporation , the National Capital Commission, or NCC, has significant land holdings in both cities, including sites of historical and touristic importance. The NCC, through its responsibility for planning and development of these lands, has
8540-455: The driest month at an average of 5 cm of precipitation. Ottawa experiences about 2,080 hours of average sunshine annually (45% of possible). Predominate wind direction in Ottawa is from the West , Easterly air flow is more common during periods of wet weather as well as localized river/lake-effect cells on summer afternoons. Windspeed is on average higher during the winter, with northerly winds predominating during cold waves. Ottawa
8662-400: The eastern periphery of North Bay) in 1922, for further aerial surveying as well as cargo and passenger transport. These flights amplified this interest and a campaign to the federal government for an aerodrome commenced. On 1 January 1923, the Department of National Defence (DND) took over responsibility and control over military and (until 2 November 1936) civil aviation in Canada. Over
8784-460: The expansion of Canada's air defences in face of the rising threat of nuclear air attack from the Soviet Union . Canada, by virtue of its geography, was presented with an unpleasant situation. No sooner had the Second World War ended than friction between the Soviet Union and Western countries began, rapidly heated up, and spread around the globe, raising the spectre of a Third World War. Called
8906-406: The federally defined National Capital Region but outside the city of Ottawa municipal boundaries; these include communities of Almonte , Carleton Place , Embrun , Kemptville , Rockland , and Russell . Influenced by government structures, much of the city's architecture tends to be formal and functional ; the city is also marked by Romantic and Picturesque styles of architecture such as
9028-613: The first city clerk, serving from 1844 to 1891, guiding Ottawa through 36 years of development, leading the hiring of key municipal roles, founding civic organizations, and proposing a set of by-laws for the city. The selection of Ottawa as the capital of Canada predates the Confederation of Canada. The choice was contentious and not straightforward, with the parliament of the United Province of Canada holding more than 200 votes over several decades to attempt to settle on
9150-672: The first session of Parliament held in the new buildings in 1866. The buildings were generally well received by legislators. Ottawa was chosen as the capital for two primary reasons. First, Ottawa's isolated location, surrounded by dense forest far from the Canada–US border and situated on a cliff face, would make it more defensible from attack. Second, Ottawa was approximately midway between Toronto and Kingston (in Canada West ) and Montreal and Quebec City (in Canada East ), making
9272-507: The first steps towards transitioning from air to aerospace defence, commencing preparations for Sapphire , Canada's first military satellite. Sapphire functions as a contributing sensor in the United States Space Surveillance Network (SSN), performing surveillance of objects orbiting at 6,000 to 40,000 kilometres altitude, and delivering data on those objects (called Resident Space Objects, or RSOs) to
9394-622: The former Goulbourn Township are to the southwest. Nepean as a suburb also includes Barrhaven . The communities of Manotick and Riverside South are on the other side of the Rideau River, and Greely , southeast of Riverside South. A number of rural communities (villages and hamlets ) are administratively part of the Ottawa municipality. Some of these communities are Burritts Rapids ; Ashton ; Fallowfield ; Kars ; Fitzroy Harbour ; Munster ; Carp ; North Gower ; Metcalfe ; Constance Bay and Osgoode . Several towns are within
9516-487: The former city of Vanier , a densely populated, historically francophone, working class enclave, and the former village of Rockcliffe Park , a wealthy residential neighbourhood adjacent to the Prime Minister's official residence at 24 Sussex and the Governor General's residence. The old city includes the downtown core and older neighbourhoods to the east, west, and south. These vibrant neighbourhoods include
9638-551: The fresh wildness of the region, an exotic experience for many of the British. Area citizens welcomed them as part of the community. The Unit responded in kind, such as aiding blood donor drives, entering a team in the local softball league, and participated in shooting where they won and golf competitions, earning a consolation prize. In September 1945, with the war over, the RCAF detachment disbanded. No. 313 Ferry Training Unit followed suit in October. Their facilities were donated to
9760-406: The general location, it took four years to find a rocket pod full of live rockets that had jettisoned from a jet fighter in 1958 when a switch malfunctioned. Both of North Bay's TACAN units were disbanded in the 1960s, but TACAN sites are still found throughout the country today, some providing assistance to civilian as well as military aviators. A concern for northern and bush operations in Canada
9882-559: The hangars, aprons and roads. In 1943, three air traffic controllers were posted to the airport—the first ATC at North Bay—to coordinate airfield flying operations from the glass "greenhouse" built atop the admin building in 1940. Nine more Hudsons joined the original five, along with two North American B-25 Mitchell bombers and a de Havilland Tiger Moth biplane . Avro Lancaster heavy bombers , de Havilland Mosquitos and Douglas Dakota transports were taken on in 1944. The RAF personnel melded seamlessly into North Bay. They loved
10004-494: The home of the now-defunct Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton . This new location was close to Ottawa's first (1849–1877) and second (1877–1931) City Halls. This new city hall complex also contained an adjacent 19th-century restored heritage building formerly known as the Ottawa Normal School . From the 1960s to the 1980s, there was a large increase in construction in the National Capital Region, which
10126-597: The jet fighters in air defence until the squadron was disbanded in 1964. In addition to its fighter squadrons, from September 1956 – September 1960, North Bay operated a CF-100 Staging Detachment at Lakehead Airport in Fort William, Ontario . A pair of CF-100 interceptors from the base were deployed, or "staged", at the Lakehead to defend the Northwest Ontario and Manitoba regions of the country. In 1960
10248-477: The lower house of parliament to relocate permanently to Quebec City, the upper house refused to approve funding. The funding impasse led to the ending of the legislature's role in determining the seat of government. The legislature requested the Queen determine the seat of government. The Queen then acted on the advice of her governor general Edmund Head , who, after reviewing proposals from various cities, selected
10370-686: The mid-1970s to the mid-1990s it took in Unidentified Flying Object reports from across the country on behalf of the National Research Council of Canada , relaying the reports to a study at the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, British Columbia. In 2000, it resumed UFO reporting, provided to researcher Chris Rutkowski at the University of Manitoba. In 2010, North Bay's operations centre took
10492-508: The natural draining of the Champlain Sea . Archaeological findings of arrowheads, tools and pottery indicate that Indigenous populations first settled in the area about 6,500 years ago. These findings suggest that these Algonquin people were engaged in foraging, hunting and fishing, but also trade and travel. Three major rivers meet within Ottawa, making it an important trade and travel area for thousands of years. The Algonquins are
10614-570: The new Parliament Buildings is a dominant Gothic Revival-styled structure known as the Peace Tower . The location of what is now Confederation Square was a former commercial district centrally located in a triangular area downtown surrounded by historically significant heritage buildings, including the Parliament buildings. It was redeveloped as a ceremonial centre in 1938 as part of the City Beautiful Movement . It became
10736-484: The next decade-and-half Canadian Air Force (as of 1 April 1924, " Royal Canadian Air Force ") Squadron Leader John Henry Tudhope , a South African-born First World War fighter pilot, almost single-handedly laid down the network of aviation in Canada, exploring and surveying the country for the construction of aerodromes and establishment of air routes for the Trans-Canada Air Lines system, essentially
10858-473: The ocean rather than over home territory; North Bay was deemed too far from the coast for its fighters to be useful in this strategy. 414 Squadron's departure left 131 Composite Unit as the sole flying unit at the base. Formed on 1 July 1962, 131 Composite Unit was a "catch-all" organization that flew two-seat T-33 Silver Star jet trainers and propeller-engine Beech C-45 Expeditor and Douglas C-47/CC-129 Dakota transports. As well as hauling cargo and personnel,
10980-493: The parliamentary precinct, which includes buildings on Parliament Hill and others downtown, such as the Senate of Canada Building . Important buildings in the executive branch include the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council as well as many civil service buildings. The Supreme Court of Canada building can also be found in this area. Across the Ottawa River, which forms the border between Ontario and Quebec , lies
11102-440: The primal ruggedness of Northern Ontario, by July 1936, eight airfields had been hacked out of the wilderness, at Reay, Diver, Emsdale , South River , Ramore , Porquis Junction , Gilles Depot and Tudhope (named after the squadron leader), and the unit was disbanded. Most of these airfields have since been abandoned to the wild. Ironically, although the nucleus of the operation, and recommended by S/L Tudhope in June 1936, North Bay
11224-469: The recently renamed Ottawa. The Queen sent a letter to colonial authorities selecting Ottawa as the capital, effective 31 December 1857. George Brown , briefly a co-premier of the Province of Canada, attempted to reverse this decision but was unsuccessful. The Parliament ratified the Queen's choice in 1859, with Quebec serving as interim capital from 1859 to 1865. The relocation process began in 1865, with
11346-629: The removal of the street car system, the decentralization of selected government offices, the relocation of industries and removal of substandard housing from the downtown. The plan also recommended the creation of the Rideau Canal and Ottawa River pathways. In 1958, the National Capital Commission was established as a Crown Corporation through the National Capital Act. The commission's original mission
11468-702: The renovation of the Senate Building . Most of the federal land in the region is managed by the National Capital Commission; its control of much undeveloped land and appropriations powers gives the NCC a great deal of influence over the city's development. Ottawa has a warm-summer humid continental climate ( Köppen : Dfb ) with four distinct seasons and is between Zones 5a and 5b on the Canadian Plant Hardiness Scale. The average July maximum temperature
11590-531: The selection an important political compromise. Other minor considerations included that despite Ottawa's regional isolation, there was water transportation access from spring to fall, both to Montreal via the Ottawa River, and to Kingston via the Rideau Waterway . Additionally, by 1854 it also had a modern all-season railway (the Bytown and Prescott Railway ) that carried passengers, lumber and supplies
11712-739: The site of the National War Memorial in 1939 and was designated a National Historic Site in 1984. A new Central Post Office (now the Privy Council of Canada ) was constructed in 1939 beside the War Memorial because the original post office building on the proposed Confederation Square grounds had to be demolished. Ottawa's former industrial appearance was vastly altered by the 1950 Greber Plan . Prime Minister Mackenzie King hired French architect-planner Jacques Greber to design an urban plan for managing development in
11834-510: The site. In December 2012, City Council voted unanimously to move forward with the Confederation Line , a 12.5 km (7.8 mi) light rail transit line, which was opened on 14 September 2019. The present-day city of Ottawa consists of the historic main urban area , as well as other urban, suburban and rural areas within the city's post-amalgamation limits. Old Ottawa refers to the former pre-amalgamation city, as well as
11956-477: The squadron was commanded by James "Stocky" Edwards, a highly decorated and an extraordinarily skilled fighter pilot with an impressive wartime career. North Bay's next fighter unit, 445 Squadron, was the first in the world armed with the Avro CF-100 Canuck interceptor. The CF-100 was one of two combat aircraft designed and built entirely in Canada, and the only one to enter air force service. It had
12078-519: The staging detachment was changed from a fighter to a TACAN (Tactical Air Navigation) unit. RCAF Station North Bay also operated a second TACAN unit at Kapuskasing, in Northern Ontario. "TACAN" is a radio navigation beacon that helps military aircrew determine their location and direction of flight. In the 1950s and 1960s it was an indispensable aid when traversing the vast Canadian wilderness landscape. Flight computers in aircraft then were Stone Age compared to today, and navigation-assistance systems such as
12200-411: The sudden proliferation of aircraft. But the government decided not to include North Bay in the training scheme. The airport's sole service to the air force over the next two years was essentially like a roadside truckstop, providing fuel, rest and meals to aircrew flying across the country. By 1942 so many aircraft were stopping at North Bay that No. 124 Squadron, RCAF, set up a seven-man detachment at
12322-679: The time they were built. The skyline has been controlled by building height restrictions originally implemented to keep Parliament Hill and the Peace Tower at 92.2 m (302 ft) visible from most parts of the city. Today, several buildings are slightly taller than the Peace Tower, with the tallest being the Claridge Icon at 143 metres (469 ft). Many federal buildings in the National Capital Region are managed by Public Works Canada , which leads to heritage conservation in its renovations and management of buildings, such as
12444-470: The town was named after British military engineer Colonel John By who was responsible for the entire Rideau Waterway construction project. The Rideau canal provided a secure route between Montreal and Kingston on Lake Ontario. It bypassed a vulnerable stretch of the St. Lawrence River bordering the state of New York that had left re-supply ships bound for southwestern Ontario easily exposed to enemy fire during
12566-543: The unit isn't known. However, although a formal air base hadn't been established, the RAF expanded the airport dramatically. A new double hangar was built (still in use today), as well as a Works and Stores Building (i.e., Supply), guard house, salvage store, recreation building, hospital, fire station and fire protective system, coal compound and general purpose building. The Canadian Department of Transport added water and power supply systems, plus provided clearing and grading for
12688-574: The unit provided targets for training of RCAF interceptor aircrews, and were used by pilots and navigators on the Northern NORAD Region headquarters staff, at the base, to maintain their flying skills. 131 Composite Unit was disbanded in November 1967. For the next five years, except for occasional visits by aircraft from other air force bases, all military flying at North Bay ceased. One of the hangars, once packed with jet interceptors,
12810-538: The waterfalls in the area and about his encounters with the Algonquin people. The first non-Indigenous settlement in the area was created by Philemon Wright , a New Englander . Wright founded a lumber town in the area on 7 March 1800 on the north side of the river, across from the present-day city of Ottawa in Hull . He, with five other families and twenty-five labourers , also created an agricultural community, which
12932-434: The waterway due to flooding techniques and the construction of 47 water transport locks. Ottawa is situated in a lowland on top of Paleozoic carbonate and shale and is surrounded by more craggy Precambrian igneous and metamorphic formations. Ottawa has had fluvial deposition of till and sands, leading to the widespread formation of eskers . There are limited distinct features arising from glacial deposits, but Ottawa
13054-577: The widespread wooden buildings. In Ottawa, it destroyed about one-fifth of the buildings from the Lebreton Flats south to Booth Street and down to Dow's Lake . The fire had a disproportionate effect on west-end lower-income neighbourhoods. It had also spread among many lumber yards, a major part of Ottawa's economy. The fire destroyed approximately 3200 buildings and caused an estimated $ 300 million in damage (in 2020 Canadian dollars). An estimated 14% of Ottawans were left homeless. On 1 June 1912,
13176-498: The winter season. On average, almost every day of January, February and March has more than 5 cm of snowpack (29, 28, and 22 days, respectively), and on average, approximately 12 days a year see 5 cm or more of snowfall, with 4 of those having over 10 cm. An average of 17 days of the year experience temperatures below −20 °C (−4 °F). Spring and fall are variable, prone to extreme changes in temperature and conditions. The month of May, for example, on average gets
13298-610: The world's elite in air defence. The unit's second Officer Commanding (OC) was Wing Commander Edward Crew, Royal Air Force. Crew was replaced in 1954 by another Englishman, Wing Commander Robert Braham . Crew and Braham also commanded RCAF Station North Bay for brief periods. No. 3 AW(F)OTU transferred to RCAF Station Cold Lake in mid-1955. Among No. 3 AW(F)OTU's instructors were the first Americans to serve at North Bay's air base: USAF Major John Eiser and Captain B. Delosier, arriving 9 January 1952. Americans have continued to serve at North Bay in one military capacity or another into
13420-517: The world's largest skating rink, thereby providing both a recreational venue and a 7.8 km (4.8 mi) transportation path to downtown for ice skaters (from Carleton University and Dow's Lake to the Rideau Centre and National Arts Centre ). On 29 June 2007, the Rideau Canal was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site . The older part of the city (including what remains of Bytown) is known as Lower Town , and occupies an area between
13542-480: The world, plus 5,296 graduates from Royal Air Force (RAF) schools. North Bay's location presented an allure for air training. It was far from major built-up areas and its skies uncluttered by air traffic, altogether a reasonably safe arena for young aircrew hopefuls attempting to learn the tricky art of military flying. In 1940 a small glass "greenhouse" was constructed atop the airport's administration building in anticipation of air traffic control , necessary to handle
13664-435: Was (and still is) air defence. On 1 October 1951, one month after RCAF Station North Bay's official birth, No. 3 All-Weather (Fighter) Operational Training Unit was formed at the base. No. 3 AW(F)OTU was a state-of-the-art school teaching military flying, interception and fighter combat in all weather conditions, day or night—cutting-edge techniques in 1951. Students came from as far away as New Zealand. The instructors were among
13786-612: Was affected by the Late Wisconsian advance . Before the draining of the Champlain Sea, the area had high salinity. After the draining of the sea, the area had pine-dominated forests. Ottawa is located within the Western Quebec Seismic Zone , and while relatively inactive, the city does occasionally experience earthquakes. During part of the winter season the Ottawa section of the canal forms
13908-644: Was converted into an ice arena for the City of North Bay. The only air defence activity at the base in this five-year period was in NORAD's famous Underground Complex (described below). Air defence ground units are those air defence organizations not equipped with aircraft. The majority are devoted to searching for, identifying, and keeping track of aircraft in the sky, and coordinating with fighters to intercept aircraft that either cannot be identified; are suspicious; require assistance; participating in criminal activity; intruding in sovereign airspace; or have been declared hostile. Surface-to-air missile (SAM) squadrons like
14030-538: Was followed by large growth in the high-tech industry during the 1990s and 2000s. Ottawa became one of Canada's largest high-tech cities and was nicknamed Silicon Valley North. By the 1980s, Bell Northern Research (later Nortel ) employed thousands, and large federally assisted research facilities such as the National Research Council contributed to an eventual technology boom. The early companies led to newer firms such as Newbridge Networks , Mitel and Corel . In 1991, provincial and federal governments responded to
14152-561: Was home to a succession of combat units devoted to this purpose. Five fighter interceptor squadrons served at North Bay. In succession, 430 Squadron (5 November 1951 to 27 September 1952), 445 Squadron (1 April to 31 August 1953), 419 Squadron (15 March 1954 to 1 August 1957), 433 Squadron (15 October 1955 to 1 August 1961) and 414 Squadron (1 August 1957 to 30 June 1964). 430 Squadron flew Canadair Sabre Mark II fighters, plus T-33 Silver Star jet trainers and propeller-driven North American Harvards for training. While at North Bay,
14274-472: Was in identifying the Magnetic North Pole, benchmark for all land, sea and air compasses in the northern hemisphere. The exact position of the Magnetic North Pole was not pinpointed until flyers from 22 Wing in 1948 plotted the exact position. At that point, 22 Wing was a photographic flying unit stationed at CFB Rockcliffe, Ontario, mapping and charting the country, separate from and unrelated to
14396-455: Was mostly French, Irish and Catholic. Bytown's population grew to 1,000 as the Rideau Canal was completed in 1832. Bytown's early pioneer period saw Irish labour unrest during the Shiners' War from 1835 to 1845 and political dissension that was evident in the 1849 Stony Monday Riot . In 1855, Bytown was renamed Ottawa and incorporated as a city. William Pittman Lett was installed as
14518-526: Was named Wright's Town . Wright pioneered the Ottawa Valley timber trade (soon to be the area's most significant economic activity) by transporting timber by river from the Ottawa Valley to Quebec City . In 1826, news of the British military's impending construction of the Rideau Canal led to land speculators founding a community on the south side of the Ottawa River. The following year,
14640-495: Was not considered as a site for an aerodrome. The first air force aircraft to land at North Bay arrived 17 to 23 May 1930. Eight Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) flying boats stopped temporarily at Trout Lake during flights west. Two were en route to Winnipeg; two to Lake Athabasca , Saskatchewan ; four to Northern Saskatchewan. This plus the landing field construction described above prompted local politicians, businessmen and community leaders to intensify their years-long campaign to
14762-422: Was proposed to ferry aircraft instead—fly them over the ocean. It was a breath-taking proposal. In 1940 transoceanic flying was raw and new. Aircrew had no navigation aids to steer by except the sun, moon and stars. Search and rescue beyond the coasts of North America, Ireland and Britain was nonexistent. Mechanical and electrical breakdowns in aircraft were common. In an emergency there was nowhere to land except
14884-700: Was to implement the Greber Plan recommendations conducted during the 1960s and 1970s. This marked the creation of a permanent political infrastructure for managing the capital region . Prior attempts to do so in the previous 50 years had been temporary. These included plans from the 1899 Ottawa Improvement Commission (OIC), the Todd Plan in 1903, the Holt Report in 1915 and the Federal District Commission (FDC) established in 1927 with
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