Government of Canada awards contract for project to restore and renovate Sherbrooke’s historic armouries

News release

December 12, 2023 – Sherbrooke, Québec – Department of National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

Today, Élisabeth Brière, Member of Parliament for Sherbrooke, and the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of National Revenue and Member of Parliament for Compton—Stanstead, announced on behalf of the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, that the Government of Canada has reached a major milestone in its work to preserve and modernize Canadian Armed Forces infrastructure in Sherbrooke, Quebec – as we committed to do in December 2022.

Madame Brière announced that the Government of Canada has awarded a modified design build contract to Pomerleau Inc. of Montreal for infrastructure work on the Colonel-Gaëtan-Côté (Belvédère Street) and William Street armouries in Sherbrooke. Pomerleau Inc. will conduct studies, design, construction, and renovation work on the Belvédère and William Street armouries.

This procurement approach allows the project’s studies, design, construction, and renovation work to be carried out in phases under a single contract as opposed to traditional methods which contract separately for design and construction. This phased contracting process will result in a faster and less expensive project – and ensures the best value for taxpayers.

The process will proceed as follows:

Now that the contract has been awarded, the contractor will begin work on the first phase of the project – developing an early conceptual design, further understanding the exact conditions of the buildings, and developing construction estimates. This first phase of the contract, worth $3.36M, is expected to be completed by late 2025.
Subsequently, the contractor will negotiate a price with DND and Defence Construction Canada (DCC) for the project.
Following departmental project approval, DCC will authorize the contractor to begin the next phases of the project (design, then construction).
Milestones for construction and renovation work will be announced as the project progresses.
Following approval of the design, construction and renovation work is expected to begin in 2027.

This process will ultimately result in the restoration of Sherbrooke’s William Street Armoury and renovation of the Colonel-Gaëtan-Côté Armoury (Belvédère Street Armoury) – ensuring that we protect Sherbrooke’s history and heritage, and provide Canada’s Reserve Forces with the work and training locations that they require.

Throughout this process, we are committed to listening to feedback from the local community and taking community interests into consideration. These armouries are crucially important to the community, and we are committed to ensuring the City of Sherbrooke and the community are well informed as we develop our plans and timelines.

Sherbrooke’s reserve units are dynamic and continue to recruit new members. We have also assessed that our Reservists’ operational needs have outgrown the current footprint of the Bélvédère and William Street armouries. A third location will be explored to meet all the remaining training and operational requirements that cannot be accommodated within the renovated and restored armouries. It will also bring together two other units: the Section d’habillement et entretien des Services techniques that were previously working out of a leased facility on Brodeur Street in Sherbrooke, and the new Détachement Service de soutien au combat du 35e Bataillon des services. DND is currently assessing the Sherbrooke real estate market for properties that could accommodate a third location in Sherbrooke to support our Reservists’ needs. Options could include purchasing, building, or leasing a facility.

Today’s announcement will enable reserve forces to continue to call Sherbrooke’s armouries home well into the future. Through these efforts we are ensuring that Reserve Force units in Sherbrooke have modern facilities that meet their long-term infrastructure needs, while preserving the valuable history and heritage of these units.

Quotes

“The citizens of Sherbrooke are deeply proud of the City’s historic armouries. Last year, we promised to save both the Belvédère Street and William Street armouries – and today, we are keeping that promise. This project will provide our Reserve Forces with the facilities that they require to do their jobs, and ensure that we protect Sherbrooke’s built heritage.”

The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence

"National Defence has awarded the contract for renovating the Fusiliers’ armoury on Belvedere Street and recapitalizing the Hussars’ armoury on William Street in downtown Sherbrooke. Our four reserve units will now be well accommodated and well equipped, in anticipation of the needs of generations to come.”

The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of National Revenue and Member of Parliament for Compton—Stanstead

“I am really proud of the work we have done to ensure the future of our armouries in Sherbrooke. With our reserve units, the Sauvons les manèges group, and the City and people of Sherbrooke, our main focus is now on moving forward with the work. Today, we have taken a new step toward preserving these symbols in the heart of our city and supporting our reservists, who are among the most dynamic in Canada. You can be sure that I will continue to push this file forward!”

Élisabeth Brière, Member of Parliament for Sherbrooke

Quick facts

In 2022, the Department of National Defence conducted public consultations on a way forward to support Primary Reserve infrastructure in Sherbrooke. This activity sought to meet the operational needs of the four reserve units in Sherbrooke, while also honouring the heritage of the two armouries located on Bélvédère and William streets.
The Colonel-Gaétan-Côté Armoury accommodates Les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke and the 35e Régiment des transmissions. It also houses the Regimental Museum of Les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke and accommodates units of the Cadet program, one of the largest federally sponsored youth programs in Canada.
For the Colonel-Gaëtan-Côté Armoury, we have been conducting regular maintenance and repair work on the building and have invested more than $6 million over the last 10 years to ensure operations could continue. This includes $2.4 million to secure and stabilize exterior walls, the two towers, and the main entrance. Phase 1 of the additional urgent repairs to the west façade was completed in fall 2021, with phase 2 repairs to the east façade completed in June 2022.
The William Street Armoury accommodates the Sherbrooke Hussars and the 52^e Ambulance de campagne. In the case of the William Street Armoury, we have invested over $1 million in the last 10 years in maintenance and repairs. This includes safety improvements and protective measures, such as safety nets and perimeter fencing.
While work is underway on the Belvédère and William Street armouries, the Reserve units will continue to work from their current temporary location on Woodward Street in Sherbrooke.
At every stage of the project, we work closely with Defence Construction Canada, our contracting authority, which tenders infrastructure projects through open and transparent processes to ensure best value for Canadians.
Following the first phase of the project, subsequent phases will be authorized through change orders to the original contract, following departmental project approval, and after successful negotiations with the contractor for work packages that represent best value for Canadians.

Associated links

Contacts

Diana Ebadi
Press Secretary and Communications Advisor
Office of the Minister of National Defence
Email: diana.ebadi@forces.gc.ca

Media Relations
Department of National Defence
Phone: 613-904-3333
Email: mlo-blm@forces.gc.ca

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Date modified:: 2023-12-12