CFB Valcartier

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Canadian Forces Base Valcartier is located 25 km north of Quebec City. CFB Valcartier was originally erected as a military camp in August of 1914 as part of the mobilization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force at the onset of World War I. Due to its proximity to the port of Quebec it became the largest military camp on Canadian soil, including some 32,000 men and 8,000 horses.

Currently, Valcartier Garrison is home to 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, which consists of 5^e Régiment d'artillerie légère du Canada (5 RALC), the 12^e Régiment blindé du Canada (12 RBC), 5^e Régiment du génie de combat (a combat engineering regiment), the three Regular Force battalions of Le Royal 22^e Régiment, QGET 5 GBMC (5 Canadian Mechanised Brigade Group Headquarters and Signals Squadron), 5 Field Ambulance Company, and 5 Military Police Platoon. The base also houses 430 Tactical Helicopter Squadron, 5 Service Battalion (which also provides services from the St-Jean and Montreal garrisons), CI SQFT (Land Force Quebec Area Training Centre), in addition to providing training facilities for most Quebec-based reserve units. The Myriam Bédard Biathlon Training Centre is also located on the base.

CFB Valcartier is also home to a Defence Research & Development Canada (DRDC) location, which conducts military research for the Canadian Forces.

ASU Valcartier is also home of the Army Cadet Summer Training Centre Valcartier, which trains Royal Canadian Army Cadets of the Eastern Region / Province of Québec.

In 1997 a cancer-causing chemical, trichloroethylene, was found in the water supply of CFB Valcartier and the nearby town of Shannon, Québec. Trichloroethylene, which has been linked to liver cancer, was used for degreasing metal parts at the base in the 1970's. The Department of National Defence, which was accused of a cover-up, reached a legal settlement with the town in 2004.^[1][2][3]

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