Lowther, ON

This booklet has two purposes: firstly it provides you with basic knowledge of the operational responsibility of the Station; and secondly it will give you information concerning interests and activities on the Station and in the local area. If you wish further information feel free to contact your sponsor on the Station who will be pleased to make your move to Northern Ontario as pleasant as possible.

I value the talent and experience that you and your family bring with you on the Station. I encourage your active participation in all our activities thus making your stay among us both rewarding and enjoyable.

Commanding Officer
Canadian Forces Station Lowther
January 1981

Primary

Along with other Canadian Stations at Sioux Lookout and Falconbridge, we provide the 23^rd NORAD Region with Search and Height Radar coverage for the air space north of the Great Lakes. There are also American Stations within the 23^rd Region. The Regional Radar coverage aids in the defence of the industrial centers of North America, and also in the maintenance of Canadian Sovereignty by keeping the Commander Canadian Forces Air Command aware of air activity in the Northern Ontario Region of Canada.

To assist the Battle Commander, we provide target acquisition, identification and height information to the control centre as well as providing a time division data link and air/ground/air facilities to aid in the command and control of our intercept missiles and aircraft.

The Station is responsible to the Trenton Rescue Coordination Center to provide a Ground Search Team for emergencies in Northern Ontario. Station personnel are also available when required for Aid to the Civil Power duties as directed by higher headquarters.

CFS Lowther provides support and maintenance to various cadet corps and air navigation facilities in the area.

Last night at 2000 hours, Charlie 119 (the number identifier for CFS Lowther Long Range Radar Site) justified its existence. Shortly before 2000 our main search radar acquired a target and one hundred and eighty nautical miles distance approaching us from James Bay at a speed of 450 knots. Our height finder radar determined the target’s altitude to be 32,000 feet. This information was automatically transmitted to our main control centre in Duluth, where special identification procedures determined that the target was a bonafide "unknown" - either an enemy intruder or an unscheduled domestic flight, probably lost. Our main control centre pushed the scramble alarm at approximately 2004 hours and two F-106 fighters from KI Sawyer Air Force Base in upper Michigan took off on a mission to locate and visually identify the unknown and, if an enemy, to destroy it, if a friend, to assist as much as possible. At 2020 hours with the guidance of data provided continuously by our search and height radar, the fighters visually located the "unknown". It turned out to be a friendly aircraft in distress and assistance was provided to it.

This one event illustrates why we are here in Ontario’s North. We can and do perform a very real role of airspace surveillance and intercept assistance. But you may say in reply, "so what" it was a "hands off" operation - here in Lowther the electronic machinery did it all; it picked up the target, it determined the height and the track, classified it unknown, and fed the data to Duluth so that the interceptors could be launched and guided to locate and identify.

Let’s ponder on this a bit. The machinery worked - but why did it?

I’ll tell you why - because of each one of us. The men in the Search, Height, Data Processing and Ground/Air Radio Sections had ensured that all systems were working. The Refrigeration and Maintenance shop had ensured that the machinery was running smoothly. The Generating Systems Technicians had ensured that the radar power supply was ideal and constant. The Supply system had ensured that all parts and supplies were here in time. The Air Defence Technicians monitored the whole operation to ensure the problems were identified and that communications with the main control centre were open. Food services had ensured that crews were fed. Administrative and pay services had ensured that crews were housed and paid. Medical and dental services had ensured that crews were healthy. Recreation services has ensured that crews were fit and rested. Construction Engineering services had ensured that the Station was secure. Fire Protection services had ensured that the Station was safe. Chaplain services had looked after the general well being of crews. Transportation services ensured that crews got to work. Name a station function, and it can be linked directly to the main mission - Keeping the radar system on the air.

It was human teamwork that ensured the effective operation of Charlie 119 last night at 2000 hours. That’s why we are here - each of us plays an important part.

The Station was built by the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1957 and designated the home of the 639^th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron with Major Bernice Allen as its first Commander. Installed equipment included the AN/MPS-7 Search Radar and the AN/MPS-14 Height Finder Radar accompanied by VHF radios of type BC-639 and BC-640. VHF communications were provided by the AN/GRC-27 and AN/GRR-7. The unit became fully operational in 1958.

In 1960 the Radar Improvement program brought the AN/FPS-27 Search Radar to the 639^th at Lowther Air Force Station.

Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) implementation testing for the site was completed in February 1963 and the site was integrated into the SAGE System in March 1963. From that time on Radar Data was fed automatically to Region Control Centre.

The 639^th Squadron was turned over to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) on July 1^st, 1963. Major General Benjamin Webster represented the USAF while Air Vice Marshal MM Hendrick accepted for the RCAF. The unit was renamed 36 Radar Squadron with Wing Commander ID Tenove, its first Commander. Since 1963, the Station has continued to operate most of the equipment which was installed prior to turnover.

Since 1970 the Station has added three on-site trailer courts, an enlarged and improved Junior Ranks Club, a two lane bowling alley, and a two sheet curling rink.

CFS Lowther is located on Highway 11 in the Cochrane District of Northern Ontario. It is 46 km west of Kapuskasing (population 15,000) and 51 km east of Hearst (population 5,000). The Station working languages are English and French. About 65% of the area population is French speaking. The major industry is the Spruce Falls Pulp and Paper Mill in Kapuskasing. The area also supplies wood products to support three large lumber mills and a wood pellet plant in Hearst.

One of Ontario’s most noted hunting spots, this area also boasts a wide variety of other attractions for the fisherman, hunter or camper.

Public transportation to Kapuskasing is available by air, rail and bus. Personnel travelling by air can fly Air Canada to Timmins and connect with NORONTAIR to Kapuskasing. Personnel arriving by train from the south have available a daily VIA train to Kapuskasing. Personnel arriving from the west have no train service directly to Kapuskasing, but most take VIA rail to Longlac or Hornepayne and Ontario Northland Bus to Kapuskasing. Daily bus service is available from east and west via Ontario Northland and Greyhound Lines.

On arrival in Kapuskasing, personnel can obtain transportation to Lowther by phoning the Mobile Support Equipment (MSE) dispatcher at 335-2277, local 308 during normal working hours, or by phoning the Duty Operator after normal working hours.

The following is a list of daily scheduled MSE runs from Lowther to Kapuskasing: (these runs are primarily for shift workers who reside in Kapuskasing and may be utilized by dependants as well).

To accommodate privately owner trailers there is a 14 unit mobile home park on the Station. The park is equipped with a wash house, children’s playground, and master TV antenna. Services such as milk deliveries, dry cleaning etc., are available from Kapuskasing.

The allotment of trailer pads is under the control of the Station Administrative Services Coordinator (SASC) and all information in this regard may be obtained from him.

An additional 32 Department of National Defence mobile home units have been installed bringing the total number of families living on the station to 46.

Storage space in trailers is very limited. Arrangements can be made through the SASC for storage lockers in certain parks. Lawn mowers should be included as a necessary item when moving into mobile homes.

Personnel allotted married quarters prior to their departure are to acquaint themselves with partial storage of F&E regulations.

Accommodation in Kapuskasing is limited, substandard and expensive. A three bedroom could cost in excess of $330.00 plus utilities. Be sure to obtain full details from your sponsor who is appointed at this unit on notification of your posting.

Transportation between BLHU’s and the Station is either by scheduled DND runs, POMV’s or car pools. Social contact between BLHU’s and on-Station residents is accomplished through monthly functions with transportation provided. A sample floor plan of a three -bedroom unit is shown in the center section of this book.

Excellent English and French school facilities, both public and separate are available in Kapuskasing. Kapuskasing High School offers academic, vocational and business courses. In addition several secondary courses are offered at evening classes. In Kapuskasing there is also a branch of Northern Community College in Timmins offering limited post-secondary classes. As well, in Hearst, there is a branch of the Laurentian University offering a Bachelor of Arts programme. Kapuskasing also has an excellent public library.

Thanks to microwave relays television in the area is good, with two English and one French channels. On the Station each of the trailers and messes is connected to a cable TV system owned and maintained by the Station.

The Station employs a Catholic and Protestant clergyman who visit the Station weekly. Both clergymen are available for interviews on request. Roman Catholic service is celebrated each Sunday at 1130 hours. Protestant services are held at 0930 hours every second Sunday. Sunday School for all denominations is held each Sunday at 1000 hours.

A barber shop is located in Barrack Block No. 6. The barber is in attendance every Wednesday from 0800 hours to 1600 hours. Haircuts are by appointment only.

Laundry and dry cleaning services are provided from Kapuskasing. Pick up/delivery point is located in the Station Social Centre.

This Station is a member of the Northern Ontario Military Credit Union. For further information, contact the Station Comptroller.

There is a Medical Inspection Room (MIR) on the Station, where minor medical work is done. Anything beyond the scope of the MIR personnel is referred to one of two doctors in Kapuskasing who are under contract to the Station. All medicals (service personnel) are done at the Infirmary at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) North Bay.

S service dental officer from North Bay visits the Station quarterly. Because of this limited service, it is mandatory that you undergo a thorough examination before arriving at Lowther. A civilian dentist in Kapuskasing is employed for emergency work.

There are no medical facilities on the Station for dependants, however, ten doctors reside in Kapuskasing and there is a modern hospital serving the community.

The town of Kapuskasing is fortunate in having one of the most modern air conditioned shopping centres in Northern Ontario. The Model City Mall has a total of 75 offices, banks and stores under one roof for the convenience of the shopper. For Station residents, the towns of Mattice (19 km west) and Hearst (51 km west) also offer shopping facilities. Also, the town of Opasatika (11 km east) has a convenience store. And of course there is a well equipped Exchange Outlet on the Station.

Lowther operates a small Station exchange and grocery store. Most of the basic items needed for personal use are available in the exchange. The selection in the exchange is slowly being expanded to include a wider variety of items at attractive prices.

The grocery store stocks the basic canned items and other non-perishables. In addition, bulk orders for beef, pork, sausage, poultry and bacon are available for those who wish to avail themselves.

Canex is open every day of the week for the convenience of Station personnel.

The Station Library contains over a thousand books, covering a wide range of subjects, not only for the serviceman but for his family. Over three hundred of these books are new. In addition to local procurement from service grants, the Station is affiliated with the Regional Library. This allows for an exchange of 100 books every three months.

The Physical Education and Recreation staff can provide information on hours of opening.

CFS Lowther does not maintain a Federal Post Office; this facility is at present located 11 km from the Station in the village of Opasatika. Money Orders and the registering of personal mail may be done at the sub-Post Office located in the Station Orderly Room.

The Station Orderly Room sorts the personal mail and distributes it to individual mail boxes in the Central Registry. All living-in and married personnel living on the Station receive a mail box upon arrival. A door to door mail delivery is in effect for residents in Kapuskasing. It should be noted that the mailing address for this Station is: General Delivery, CFS Lowther, Kapuskasing, Ontario, P5N 2Y7.

Facilities available on the Station:

Films
Bowling Alleys
Curling Rink
Softball Diamond
Snowmobile Club
Rifle Range
Quarry Recreational Area
Playgrounds
Teen Club
Cross Country Skiing.

NOTE: The Bowling Alley, Curling Club and Gymnasium are open daily and on evenings and weekends on a schedule published by the Physical Education and Recreation Staff.

The Station receives films from the Canadian Forces Movie Guild each week. Films are shown three times weekly in both the Junior Ranks and Sergeants Mess. Officers have an open invitation to attend showing in the Sergeants Mess.

There is a small hobby shop on the unit. A nominal fee is charged for membership. Members may use the shop at any time. A key is available at the Guardhouse.

With the acquisition of a kiln in 1980, the Ceramics Club is a resounding success. Paints, supplies and greenware are available in Kapuskasing, but work on projects including firing is done on Station. The Ceramics Club meets weekly for all those interested.

The Arts and Crafts Club of CFS Lowther meets weekly. Profits from the sale of craftwork are donated to various projects on Station thanks to this energetic group.

The Station Curling Club offers its members excellent competition provided by neighbouring clubs from Mattice, Hearst and Kapuskasing. Our club has recently been renovated and is considered one of the best in the radar chain. Join it and you will enjoy some Northern Ontario hospitality.

This club meets twice a week for mixed bowling leagues. Recently renovated, it now boasts shiny renewed lanes complete with brand new automatic pin-setters. A popular event in the bowling alley is the Friday night bowling league. Enquire about it. It’s different.

Facilities available in Kapuskasing and Hearst (approximately 50 km) include:

Golf courses
Sports Palace (2 ice rinks) for hockey, skating and broomball.
Bowling Alleys
Theatres (2)
Downhill Skiing (approximately 50 km)
Roller Skating

Each year the Station holds a Winter Carnival shortly after the Christmas Season. All personnel are involved in this week of merriment. The following are a few of the many events:

King and Queen Contest
Snow Shoe Races
Egg Tossing
Bear Contest
Smooshing Race
Torchlight Parade
Dances

The fall fair takes place in early September. There are animal rides for the kids and many other games. There is a dunking barrel set up where you can try to drown your "boss" or "best friend". It provides a good break at the end of the summer and is usually well attended by all Station personnel. Additionally, it serves as an occasion for all new personnel and families to get acquainted with their fellow servicemen and civilians and families.

The quarry project is a recent addition to the Station and is located approximately three km from the main gate towards Opasatika. This area provides a place for the family for relaxing, swimming, picnicking, having Bar-B-Qs, etc.

Reporting

Listed below are procedures to follow when reporting to Station Lowther for duty:

Normal Working Hours - If you arrive during normal working hours you are to report directly to the Orderly Room in Building No. one.

Silent Hours - If you arrive outside normal working hours, you are to report to the Corps of Commissionaire on duty at the main gate for allocation of accommodation. Personnel will then report to the Orderly Room during working hours.

A sponsor system has been initiated to better acquaint you with your new environment. In this connection, the following has been implemented for your assistance:

On receipt of posting instructions a member of this unit is selected to act as your sponsor, and

You are advised by message the name of your sponsor, with a request that you address any queries pertaining to your posting to him.

Every assistance will be given to you by your sponsor, with particular attention to:

Local environment;

Station amenities;

If married - civilian housing and married quarters availability with estimated and actual rentals to be expected;

Area academic and religious institutions;

If single, barrack accommodation and storage facilities;

Transportation schedules providing service to and from the town of Kapuskasing.

The following banks are located in Kapuskasing:

Bank of Montreal
Bank of Nova Scotia
Bank of Canada
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
Canada Trust
Caisse Populaire
Credit Union

Private Motor Vehicles (including snowmobiles and motorcycles)

Persons may use station roads providing they comply with the following regulations:

Be in possession of a valid driver’s license and vehicle registration.
Have a current Certificate of Mechanical Fitness and up-to-date Safety Sticker.
Obtain a Station Decal from the Guardhouse.

The speed limit on all Station roads is 15 mph. Persons must park only in designated parking areas; parking in other than these areas is prohibited. Station Standing Orders outline the penalties for traffic violations.

Personnel posted to Ontario from other provinces or abroad are to obtain a driver’s license and vehicle license plates as soon as possible after taking up residence in Ontario. Prior to purchasing license plates, all cars brought into Ontario require a safety check which may be done by any licensed mechanic, who will provide a Certificate of Mechanical Fitness for a fee.

The Military Police will answer any further queries dealing with private vehicles.

The Model Town of the North is Found at..

Kapuskasing is in Ontario’s northern farmland, the Clay Belt.

Some thousands of years ago a pre-historic lake laid wide deposits of flat-topped clay beneath its surface. When the lake had drained, the clay received a natural forest cover of evergreen trees, chiefly spruce.

Canada’s native Indians found the climate of this northland area too harsh to flourish. Few traveled here. On their annual fur-trading trip to the Hudson Bay Company post at Moose Factory on James Bay, Indians passed a natural S-shaped curve in the river 240 km south of the Arctic Watershed. They called this natural beauty spot "Kapuskasing" or "the place where the river bends". Occasional Jesuit missionaries or French-Canadian voyageurs were the only white men to pass by.

At the beginning of this century, a booming Canadian economy decided to build a transcontinental railroad through the wild, unpopulated Northland of Ontario. Many natural hazards had to be overcome. Chief amongst these were muskeg and the winter cold. One railway surveyor in the area reports becoming so ill from bad water obtained through an ice-hole that he cured himself with medicine in preference to Brandy.

In 1910, the pioneer JA Stewart tramped through the virgin bush and decided that the Indian’s S-shaped curve would make an ideal site for a community. It was also a convenient bridging point for the railway to cross the Kapuskasing River. The steel tracks later became the Canadian National Railway’s main northern line connecting with Toronto 800 km to the south. JA Stewart later became a councilor of the community he had helped to found.

Realizing the potential of the Clay Belt, the federal government set up an Experimental farm beside the Kapuskasing River to study the agricultural possibilities of the area.

When World War I started, the isolation of Kapuskasing made it an ideal site for an internment and prisoner-of-war camp. The first batch of prisoners arrived in December, 1914. They were immediately sent to work clearing bush in rugged 30 degrees below zero weather. In the next four years, they cleared large areas of the future town-site. Conditions at the camp were far from easy. Intense cold in the winter and heat in the summer made life a misery for both prisoners and guards. The prisoners mutinied in 1916, demanding higher pay for their forced labour. They got it. Chicken pox and bush fires struck the camp in the same year. The graveyard of prisoners who died in the camp may still be seen on the west side of the river, south of the highway. In the winter of 1917, two prisoners attempted an escape from the camp. After 14 days in the bush they knocked on the commandant’s door begging for food and warmth.

Between 1917 and 1920, the Ontario government attempted to settle veterans and their families in the Kapuskasing area. The town was chosen because of its potential as farmland and for the beauty of its landscape. Soon, 100 selected families were trying to wrest a living from the sub-arctic farmland. Pioneer life for these veterans was hard. How were they to support themselves until they had cleared enough land to grow and sell their first crop?

Government subsidies poured into the area. Settlers were paid salaries to tide them through their early years. They were also provided with farm tools and wooden frame cottages. A few of these dwellings may still be seen in the area. By 1919, the town consisted of some nineteen houses, a store, a school and a meeting hall. There was three quarters of a mile of gravel highway. There were few conveniences for men or women. Trains connected with Toronto three times per week bringing in supplies and a woman who sank "almost to her knees" in the mud of the station platform.

The lonely life of the pioneer was broken by social nights, sing-songs and card games in an open air rink. Many fingers were frozen by housewives collecting snow to melt for washing water.

In spite of the efforts of the veterans, the colony was beaten by unusually long and hard winters. The summer months of July and August were warm but too short to allow crops to mature. By 1920, most of the veterans families had returned south. Kapuskasing was deserted and, as one visitor at the time reported the meeting hall "as a pitiful sight" - there were no records for the phonograph, the piano stool lay in pieces, the cloth of the billiard table was torn and the cues tipless.

The only lasting achievement of the veterans was to clear further areas of bush for later settlers.

To sponsor the development of the North on firmer lines, the Ontario government leased large areas of woodland in the Kapuskasing area to the Spruce Falls Power and Paper Company in 1920. The company commenced production of paper pulp in 1922 with about 500 employees. It adopted the policy of purchasing much of its cord wood from settlers and small contractors. At last settlers had a source of income outside their farms. Another company policy was to reforest areas of cut timber. It now plants about 1 ½ million trees annually.

The town grew steadily in population as settlers flocked in. Many of them were French Canadians from across the nearby Quebec border.

In 1926, the Spruce Falls company concluded a contract to produce newsprint for the New York Times. A hydro-electric station was built at Smokey Falls, 80 km to the north, to provide power for the expanded production. Newsprint is still the premier product of the town. Spruce Falls continued to expand and now employs 2500 men in all its operations and produced 200 tons of pulp per day. In 1945, the Kimberly Clark Company of Canada began production of creped wadding for eventual conversion to their Kleenex line of products.

Kapuskasing became incorporated as a town on April 8, 1921. An almost unique street plan was adopted. Streets radiate from the Circle, a central shopping area, or run in concentric circles around it. This is in contrast to the rectilinear street plan of most North American cities.

By 1930, the town had a fine hospital, a progressive high school, a hotel and a Civic Centre was built by the Spruce Falls Company handed over to the town in 1964. It became a unique project for the community, containing municipal offices, recreational areas and the only magistrate’s court in the province with carpeting and a chandelier.

As recently as 1964, the expanding Model Town of the North incorporated two nearby suburban areas, Val Albert and Brunetville, bringing its population up to 15,000.

Hearst is located 49 degrees, 45 minutes north latitude and 82 degrees, 45 minutes west longitude. In relation to the surrounding area. It is 97 km west of Kapuskasing, 208 km east on Longlac, and 353 km north northeast of Sault Ste. Marie. Flowing north through Hearst is the Mattawishkwia River and running through the Town is the King’s Highway 11. Hearst is where east meets west.

Hunting and fishing are some of the main attractions in the Hearst area. Hunters from all parts of Ontario, other Provinces, and the United States come here to hunt Moose during the fall season. The animal being fairly abundant, it is with pride that Hearst has labeled itself "The Moose Capital of Canada". Anglers also find the best in brook and lake trout, pickerel (walleye) and pike fishing in the local chain of lakes and streams. The fishing spots and the lakes to the west of Hearst are among the best in Canada for trout.

Hearst is a religious, educational and medical centre. The Community is the centre of the Roman Catholic Church of the District of Cochrane North, and is where the residence of the Bishop is situated. The residents of the Roman Catholic denomination look proudly at their newly opened modern Cathedral which has the aspect of a pavilion.

Basically, Hearst is an education centre for primary and secondary school students residing within a radius of 64 km of the Town. Primary education is afforded to Public and Separate School supporters under separate roofs. Instruction at the secondary level is being pursued at the newly completed Vocational School which offers selected opportunities to students.

It is also an education centre for all those students of North central Ontario who seek an education at the university level. This is made possible by the Hearst College which offers a BA standing, and which is affiliated with Laurentian University of Sudbury.

As a medical centre, Hearst serves a population of 10,000 and over, since its local Hospital has been treating patients residing as far as Opasatika to the east, Longlac to the west, and Oba to the south. The present Notre-Dame Hospital has the facilities and the personnel to treat all active cases for various illnesses with very few exceptions.

Like any other organized community, Hearst does have its own recreation facilities. A Recreation Centre which was completed in December of 1960, serves as a hockey arena, skating centre, assembly hall, youth recreation centre, for exhibitions and other similar activities. A fastball park with lighting features is located in the immediate vicinity of the centre, and the land surrounding the building is used as a playground and other outdoor recreation activities.

In addition to the above, the Hearst people are afforded bowling and swimming facilities under private management. The future completion of the Provincial Park located at Fushmi Lake, some 32 km northwest of Hearst, which will offer overnight camping facilities, will add to the local recreation opportunities.