17 Wing, located at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Winnipeg, is spreading its wings.
Over the next few years, 17 Wing Winnipeg air force base is expected to undertake its largest expansion in several decades.Ěý
Department of National Defence (DND) spokesman Kened Sadiku says the expansion will improve training infrastructure and operational readiness and support Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members and their families with enhanced services and modernized facilities.
Supporters of the expansion say it will bring hundreds of new employees and families to the base, which lies 10 kilometres west of downtown Winnipeg as well as millions of dollars in construction projects.
The Winnipeg Construction Association (WCA) is tracking 33 projects at 17 Wing, made up of a mixture of new buildings, engineering projects, alterations, renovations and heavy civil projects.
One involves a new training facility called the RCAF Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) program – CFB Winnipeg (17 Wing)StatusPre-Construction/NegotiatedValue$100MLocation715 Wihuri Rd, Winnipeg MBSectorPublic – FederalTypeMilitary · New ConstructionData as of July 27, 2026.
“There will be a new combined hangar, training and simulator centre,” says Harrison Ruess, a spokesman for SkyAlyne, the Ottawa-based company overseeing the facility’s construction. “This will include space for aircraft parking, classrooms and other learning spaces, offices and the ground-based simulators.”
The new facilities are being designed now with construction expected to begin in 2027 and take place over several years.
“For construction activities associated with the FAcT program, interested parties should connect with EllisDon, our lead subcontractor for infrastructure,” says Ruess. “As we shortly move towards construction activities, an online landing page with relevant information and opportunities will become available.”
To bid on work at 17 Winnipeg, contractors will have to meet certain security requirements, which depend on the type of work being done, says
WCA president and CEO Darryl Harrison.
“The contractor’s firm will need to pass a security check and also potentially the individual workers will need clearance,” says Harrison.
Projects at military facilities in Manitoba don’t come up very often, but
WCA members have enough experience and expertise to take on projects at the air force base.
“Manitoba contractors have successfully delivered complex institutional, health care, aviation, defence, industrial and infrastructure projects,” says Harrison. “Our hope is that procurement processes maximize opportunities for qualified Manitoba firms to compete.
“Transparent, timely procurement and early communication with industry will help ensure the project attracts the strongest competition and delivers the best value for taxpayers.”
17 Wing spokesman Capt. Ken Jacobson says all DND contracting opportunities are posted through the Government of Canada procurement systems, including MERX and CanadaBuys.
Tender postings will include the applicable bid requirements, evaluation criteria and any security clearance requirements associated with a specific contract.
Information on contractor security requirements is available through
In addition, says Jacobson, Defence Construction Canada has an posted for CFB Winnipeg.
“The reference number associated with that notice can be used by interested firms when proactively pursuing any required security clearances,” says Jacobson.Ěý
17 Wing Winnipeg is located in CentrePort Canada, a tri-modal (train, plane, truck) inland port.
CentrePort Canada president and CEO Carly Edmundson says plans are underway for a 500-acre residential development in CentrePort South that is expected to provide housing for between 8,000 and 10,000 residents.
“This development will help meet the need for more housing…and support the area’s growing workforce and population, including new 17 Wing employees and their families.”
Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham calls the expansion of 17 Wing “a big economic opportunity for Winnipeg.
“In the near term, it means substantial construction activity and opportunities for local contractors, skilled tradespeople and suppliers,” says Gillingham.
Over the longer term, additional military and civilian personnel and their families will generate demand for housing and local business products and services.
“It will also strengthen Winnipeg’s already significant aerospace and defence sector and help attract further private investment to the airport and CentrePort area,” says Gillingham.
Estimates of new job creation range between 800 and 1,400.
“That’s a significant boost to what’s already one of Canada’s most important air force bases,” he says.
The Manitoba government is also getting involved in the project.
The province is boosting 17 Wing Winnipeg with another 10.5 megawatts of power.Ěý
The base provides continually operating functions in the form of airfield operations, communications, security and emergency response.
The site’s energy demand is driven by heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, lighting and “mission-critical operations.”
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