Canadian Coast Guard, Central and Arctic Region: Establishment of the Montréal Office as Headquarters

The Canadian Coast Guard was initially made up of five regions but, since 2012, it has adopted a three-region model as a result of a large-scale restructuring intended to take a standardized national approach with the organization. The Atlantic Region was born of the merger of the Newfoundland and Labrador Region and the Maritimes Region, the Pacific Region was renamed the Western Region, and the Quebec Region was integrated into the Central and Arctic Region, which now covers the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence and the Arctic. On October 1, 2012, Mario Pelletier, the newly appointed Assistant Commissioner, took the reins of the new Central and Arctic Region, with the mandate to set up its headquarters in Montréal.

Geographical and language benefits 

Montréal was selected for both its geographical and language features. Located in the heart of the Great Lakes network and the St. Lawrence Seaway, the office is located at 105 McGill Street, in the Old Port, near the water and the Coast Guard's clients and partners. Reflecting the linguistic reality of regional staff, the Montréal office symbolizes bilingualism because of both its status and the way it operates, mixing French and English in the same conversation. This central pole is supported by two other regional offices located in Sarnia, Ontario, and in Québec.

The first employees officially moved into their new offices in January 2014. The main priorities in force at that time are still central to our actions today: operate as one region through the standardization of services, procedures and communications, and strengthen Montréal's position as Regional Headquarters.

Continued growth momentum

In August 2015, Julie Gascon took over from Mr. Pelletier as Assistant Commissioner for the Central and Arctic Region. This appointment, combined with the announcement of the implementation of the Oceans Protection Plan (OPP) in November 2016, further consolidated the Coast Guard's growth momentum. Focused on marine safety, protection of marine environments and strengthening partnerships, the OPP proposes additional resources to support initiatives directly involving the Canadian Coast Guard. In response to these new requirements, teams were created in the Montréal office to handle strategic services, relationships and partnerships with Aboriginal peoples, incident management, vessels of concern and the OPP program. A new, modern office space in the basement of the building was also inaugurated on June 6, 2018. 

Since Ms. Gascon was appointed to the position of Director General, Operations, at National Headquarters, the Central and Arctic Region has been awaiting a new Assistant Commissioner. Ms. Gascon is inspiring and proactive. She has made a mark on the region with her determination to act, her ability to engage and reach out to her employees with the greatest respect, and her obvious love of the Coast Guard and service to citizens. The person who takes over the helm for the Region will continue this mandate of strengthening and growth.

Valérie Du Sablon
Canadian Coast Guard