Department of National Defence announces funding for remediation and water treatment in North Bay
Government Release
December 10, 2025 – North Bay, ON – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces
The Department of National Defence (DND) is advancing work to address the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS) near 22 Wing/Canadian Forces Base (CFB) North Bay.
In 2021, DND and the City of North Bay entered in a $20 million contribution agreement to fund PFAS remediation at the Jack Garland Airport. Today, on behalf of the Honourable David J. McGuinty, Minister of National Defence, Pauline Rochefort, Member of Parliament for Nipissing – Timiskaming and Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretary of State (Rural Development), announced an amendment to the existing contribution agreement.
DND will provide an additional $100 million, for a total of approximately $120 million in funding for remediation at the Jack Garland Airport. This will be administered over a sixteen-year period and will fund 97% of the planned remediation at the Jack Garland Airport.
Parliamentary Secretary Rochefort also announced that DND and the City of North Bay have entered in another contribution agreement of up to $8.25 million for the design of treatment upgrades and support of a six-month pilot program to test PFAS treatment options at the North Bay Drinking Water Treatment plant over a two-year term. The objective of this agreement is to reduce PFAS levels in municipal drinking water.
DND will continue to work closely with the City of North Bay, the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks on this issue and will provide regular updates about this work to the community.
Quotes
"Yesterday’s agreement between the Department of National Defence and the City of North Bay will further the collaboration toward our shared goal of remediating the Jack Garland Airport. This funding will also help support North Bay residents to have an efficient and effective long-term water treatment solution. We remain committed to addressing and managing the operational legacy of the Canadian Armed Forces responsibly."
The Honourable David J. McGuinty, Minister of National Defence
"Today’s announcement represents a significant step forward in our collective efforts to ensure the health and safety of members in this community. This investment is vital to advancing the remediation of the airport and securing a permanent, efficient solution to protect North Bay’s water supply."
Pauline Rochefort, Member of Parliament for Nipissing – Timiskaming and Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretary of State (Rural Development)
"This additional funding is an important step forward in our ongoing efforts to address PFAS in North Bay. It allows us to continue remediation at Jack Garland Airport and advance the engineering and design of upgrades to our water treatment system, all with the goal of providing safe, clean drinking water for our community."
Peter Chirico, Mayor of North Bay
Quick facts
PFAS are human-made chemicals used in a variety of industrial and consumer products, including firefighting foams. They have been found in surface water and groundwater on and near 22 Wing/CFB North Bay property. From the early 1970s until the mid-1990s, DND used firefighting foams containing PFAS at the base and former training areas at the Jack Garland Airport. These activities were conducted according to industry guidelines and accepted practices and regulations of the time.
A contribution agreement is an agreement between the federal government to grant financial assistance to a recipient solely for the purpose of implementing a project or program.
This type of firefighting foam, known as AFFF, was highly effective in extinguishing flammable liquid fires. PFA’s lowered the surface tension of water which with proper application separated the fuel/vapour/air interface halting fire, provided the film layer was not disturbed. Unfortunately, many municipal, provincial, federal and defence fire training facilities now have significant PFA soil and groundwater contamination.