Canada’s auditor general found serious problems with the military’s aging living quarters, including deteriorating exterior walls, toilets that don’t flush and a lack of safe drinking water.
There are 227 high-priority repairs needed across 32 buildings, according to Karen Hogan’s latest report released Tuesday. But out of a sample audited, only five per cent of repairs had been completed.
“It’s the kind of conditions you and I wouldn’t want to live in, and the kind of conditions I don’t think we should let our Canadian Armed Forces live in,” Hogan said at a news conference.
While examining furnished quarters at three bases, Hogan’s team found poor conditions, including that there wasn’t enough living space per person, which could lead to overcrowding; communal showers instead of the required individual stalls; and not enough modern amenities, including Wi-Fi access.
The report lays out the depth of the problem the federal government is facing in trying to rebuild Canada’s Armed Forces. There isn’t nearly enough military housing available and the government’s plan to build more still includes a shortfall, it found.
The blunt assessment comes at a time when the military is trying to recruit more new members.
Auditor general describes poor conditions of military housing
Hogan also found that while recruitment improved over the past three years, the Forces still didn’t bring in enough new military members to make up for the number of people who left.
The lack of affordable housing has long been cited as a reason for low morale and why some people quit.
“It is important for their morale and well-being that they can access affordable housing in good condition with sufficient living space for their needs,” Hogan wrote.
The auditor general’s team found the average age of the buildings housing military members is 60 years old, and most required at least one high-priority repair.
Along with the lack of maintenance, the Canadian Forces Housing Agency, which manages military housing units at bases, is also failing to meet the current demand, Hogan found.
Her audit found there were 3,706 military members on a waitlist for residential housing units at bases this spring, but only 205 units available.
The federal government plans on spending $2.2 billion between 2024 and 2043 to build 1,400 new residential housing units and renovate another 2,500 units, the report said.
But Hogan found that’s not nearly enough, saying the government’s plan is using outdated data and short about 3,800 to 5,800 units.
