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DND and the regular Canadian Forces have around 17,400 personnel at more than 40 locations in Ottawa and Gatineau.

As DND employees move out of 101 Colonel By to the Carling Avenue headquarters, the vacant space will be renovated, at which point employees from other department locations can move in. DND officials, however, caution that such renovations could take several years.

Photo by Ashley Fraser / Postmedia

The full scope of work and costing for the project will be determined over the next 12 to 18 months.

Bouthillier said the final number of staff who would work from 101 Colonel By had yet to be determined. It is estimated the building can accommodate approximately 4,500 employees.

By the end of next year, when the move of staff is completed to the Carling Avenue headquarters, there will be around 1,675 employees left at the Colonel By location.

Some minor renovations have already taken place in certain parts of the Colonel By building. For example, some “executive non-assigned areas” have been created, LeBouthillier said. These are essentially temporary work spaces for employees who have moved to the Carling Avenue campus, but sometimes require basic work spaces if they are downtown for meetings. Other refits will include making better use of available space.

The federal government spent $800 million acquiring and outfitting the former Nortel complex in the west end for DND needs. It has argued it will see substantial savings from consolidating many of the department’s employees into one site.