From September to April, students come and go in a constant ebb and flow through Carleton’s residence buildings. A lively hum fills the halls: a mixture of chatter, tapping keyboards, and brisk footsteps rushing to class.
But after the last students leave their rooms in April, less familiar sounds begin to fill the buildings. The trumpeting and drumming of band practice, the marching of polished boots, and the barks of corporals echo across campus.
Each May to August, the Canadian Armed Forces uses Carleton’s residence facilities to house the Ceremonial Guard’s 400 troops. This year marks the Guard’s 20th season at Carleton, according to Maj. Michel Lavigne, commander of the Ceremonial Guard.
“For us it’s very simple. We need rations, quarters, and space for four months, and the space has to accommodate rehearsal for 400 troops,” he said.
According to Lavigne, Carleton provides the ceremonial guard with a “turn-key solution.” The university provides residence rooms, meals, lecture rooms to conduct military training, and parking lots for band rehearsals.
“If you look around Ottawa, there aren’t many places that are big enough,” said Lavigne. When the Canadian Forces’ Rockcliffe base closed, Carleton provided the best bid to house the Guard.
“We move in as soon as they can clean the building after the students have left, and we vacate with sufficient time for the building to be turned around for the arrival of the students,” said Lavigne.
The Ceremonial Guard has performed ceremonial parades in the capital since 1959, and is comprised of various units of the Canadian Armed Forces. They conduct the daily changing of the guard ceremony on parliament hill.
“It’s a good way to get soldiers to meet the Canadian public, and for the public to meet members of the Canadian Armed Forces,” Lavigne said.
Carleton’s residence buildings are rented out to various groups and organizations during the summer months. According to David Sterritt, director of Housing and Conference Services, the most visible tenant is the Ceremonial Guard. The buildings have also hosted gymnastics competitions, school trips, and participants in the Ottawa Marathon.
But staying in the buildings does not come without a cost. In summer 2013, the Department of Housing earned $2.1 million in revenue from May to August from renting out residence buildings.
This compares to $19.5 million earned throughout the remaining eight months of the year, according to statistics from September 2013 to April 2014.
According to Sterritt, the money makes its way back into the revenue stream and annual operating budget for the housing department.
“The soldiers like this, I like this, and it makes our collective job a lot easier by having a campus that is welcoming and helpful to us,” Lavigne added.
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