Bonne année, santé et prospérité!
Welcome Back! I certainly hope that everyone had an enjoyable and restful holiday break. I know that I was able to relax and to recharge my own batteries. I ate too many sweets and didn’t do near enough exercise but that is what New Year’s resolutions are for! I suspect that this is the case for many of you as from my office window I have noticed an increased use of the cardio room at the gym since we all started back to work on the 7th of January.
Janvier sera un mois très important pour Bagotville puisque notre personnel et nos équipements seront de retour de l’Op RÉASSURANCE à la fin du mois. Le déploiement fut un franc succès et les membres qui y ont participé doivent en être fiers. Bravo à l’équipe de la BFC Bagotville !
As the New Year begins the pace of operations will undoubtedly begin to pick up. Along with our other day to day commitments, we have Force Generation Deployments planned for 425, 433 and 439 Squadrons and this is also an airshow year. As you can see, this will make for a very busy late winter and spring.
Speaking of the airshow, LCol Corneau and Mr. Michel Aubin and their team have been working extremely hard on preparing for the SAIB 2019. This year promises to be the biggest and best to date. With the USAF F- 35 performing for the first time in Canada at our show coupled with our goal to make the airshow a fully carbon neutral / ecologically responsible event, we are certainly going to be putting CFB Bagotville and Saguenay / Lac St - Jean on the world map. I am truly looking forward to the show even though I won’t be flying in it!
Inutile de vous rappeler que l’arrivée de 2019 marque le décompte avant le prochain spectacle aérien. Le lcol Corneau, M. Michel Aubin et toute l’équipe travaillent déjà extrêmement fort pour préparer le SAIB 2019. Tous les éléments sont en place pour que nous puissions vivre le meilleur et le plus gros des spectacles aériens. Avec l’équipe de l’USAF de F35 qui performera au SAIB 2019 pour la première fois au Canada et l’élaboration du premier spectacle aérien carboneutre et éco- responsable nous donnerons sans aucun doute une réputation mondiale à la BFC Bagotville et au Saguenay Lac- Saint- Jean. J’ai vraiment hâte au spectacle aérien même si malheureusement je ne pourrai pas voler moi- même.
C’est avec fierté que j’aimerais souligner le travail exceptionnel de la Capt Ève LambertBeaulieu ainsi que son équipe responsable de la campagne du Fonds de charité de la Base l’automne passé. Malgré le tempo opérationnel élevé des derniers mois, l’équipe et tous ceux qui ont participé ont réussi à amasser une impressionnante somme d’argent qui reflète la générosité continue du personnel de la BFC Bagotville.
Lastly, I know that January and February are often “Cabin Fever” months and that people tend to lock themselves in their houses during these months. Please don’t do that. We are extremely fortunate to have so many fun activities to partake in both on the Base and in the surrounding area. Please continue to use the services of the MFRC and to take advantage of all of the discounted tickets available from the Recreation Centre. We have so many awesome winter sports here in the valley that are supported by PSP and the Base Fund. Get out and enjoy them.
I wish all of you a Happy New Year and safe and prosperous 2019. I look forward to working, playing, and relaxing with you all over the next number of months on our way to the summer season.