32 Canadian Brigade Group


32 Canadian Brigade Group of the Canadian Army is part of the 4th Canadian Division. It is centred on the Greater Toronto Area, as well as Niagara Region and Brantford. It is headquartered at LCol George Taylor Denison III Armoury in Toronto, Ontario.

Brigade Command

Daniel Stepaniuk, CD, is the Commander of 32 CBG whilst Chief Warrant Officer David Turnbull, CD, is the Brigade Sergeant-Major. Brigade Headquarters has a staff of approximately 40 full-time and 20 part-time members, both military and civilian.

History

Second World War

32nd Brigade Group was created, within 2 Militia District, on 1 April 1942 when the reserve force in Canada was reorganized for the war. Like today, the formation consisted of part-time soldiers who paraded and trained on evenings and weekends. The brigade group was closed down on 30 January 1946 and the headquarters itself closed on 2 April 1946. During its existence, the brigade group was headquartered in Toronto and it held the following organization:
32 Canadian Brigade Group was recreated on 1 April 1997, with its headquarters located in Toronto, replacing the Toronto District Headquarters. Resulting from a major restructuring of the army, it was established as one of ten reserve brigade groups organized across Canada.
Although 32 CBG has a short history, this cannot be said of its units. Regiments like The 48th Highlanders of Canada, The Governor General's Horse Guards, The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, The Queen's York Rangers, The Royal Regiment of Canada, The Lorne Scots, and The Lincoln and Welland Regiment were all founded before Confederation. Most units have served in almost all of the military campaigns involving Canadians: Fenian raids, Red River Expedition, North-West Rebellion, South African War, both World Wars and the Korean War. Since the 1980s, they have been contributing to UN and NATO missions around the world.
Many soldiers of 32 Canadian Brigade Group have served on operations around the world. Nearly 70 members of the brigade deployed to Afghanistan in August 2006 and more than 120 served in Kandahar during the winter of 2008-2009. The brigade has also played a big role in disaster relief at home, helping Canadians during the Manitoba floods and the January 1998 ice storm. It remains prepared to back up the emergency services of the Greater Toronto Area and Central Ontario whenever needed.

Role

The role of 32 CBG is to produce well-trained Reserve soldiers to enhance Canada's combat capability. Like all Reserve brigades and units, it trains part-time soldiers to serve as the basis of national mobilization, to respond to emergencies in Canada and to augment the Regular Force overseas, and to be the army's link to the community.
32 CBG comprises part-time soldiers plus a small cadre from the Regular Force who help plan and execute the training. Soldiers of the Army Reserve ― traditionally, the Militia ― train an average of one night a week and one weekend a month. Many Reservists train full-time during the summer, because many of the younger soldiers are students.

Brigade composition

Overview

32 CBG is an infantry-heavy brigade with 2100 soldiers in 10 units based in Toronto, Aurora, Brantford, Scarborough, St. Catharines, Brampton, Oakville, Georgetown and Mississauga. It has two reconnaissance regiments, two field artillery regiments, a field engineer regiment and six infantry battalions. The brigade recently added two new, temporary armouries. The Queen's Own Rifles now have an infantry company in Scarborough, while the Toronto Scottish have established a company in Mississauga.

Regiments

Armouries

In the Canadian Forces, an armoury is a place where a reserve unit trains, meets, and parades.
SiteDateDesignatedLocationDescriptionImage
Brampton Armoury
2 and 12 Chapel Street		1914–151991 Recognized – Register of the Government of Canada Heritage BuildingsBrampton, Ontario
Housing B Company, The Lorne Scots, this centrally located, mid-size, rectangular building has a low-pitched gable roof.
Denison Armoury
1 Yukon Lane		2003Canada's Register of Historic PlacesToronto, Ontario
Large centrally located building with a low-pitched gable roof houses 32 Canadian Brigade Group Headquarters; The Governor General's Horse Guards; 2 Intelligence Company; 32 Combat Engineer Regiment; 32 Service Battalion; 32 Military Police Platoon; 2 Area Support Group Signal Squadron C Troop; ASU Toronto.
Fort York Armoury
660 Fleet Street		1933–351991 Federal Heritage building; on the Register of the Government of Canada Heritage BuildingsToronto, Ontario
Designed by architects Marani, Lawson and Morris in an industrial area of Toronto; this large, two-storey, drill hall with a concrete, vaulted roof is home to The Royal Regiment of Canada, Queen's York Rangers, 32 Signal Regiment and 32 Canadian Brigade Group Battle School.
Captain Bellenden Seymour Hutcheson VC Armoury
70 Birmingham Street		2009Toronto, Ontario
The Captain Bellenden Seymour Hutcheson VC Armoury is a shared facility with the Toronto Police Service. The Armoury is considered a "Green Building" in accordance with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System. This armoury is home to The Toronto Scottish Regiment.
Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Beckett Armoury
7535 - 9th Line		May 12, 2012Mississauga, Ontario
The Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Beckett Armoury is a shared facility with the Mississauga Fire Department, Peel Regional Police Services and the Department of National Defence. The armoury is considered a "Green Building" in accordance with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System. This armoury is home to The Toronto Scottish Regiment 75th Mississauga Company.
Moss Park Armoury
130 Queen Street East		1965Canada's Register of Historic PlacesToronto, Ontario
Housing 7th Toronto Regiment, RCA, The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, 48th Highlanders of Canada, 25 Field Ambulance, this large centrally located building has a low-pitched gable roof.
Oakville Armoury1924Canada's Register of Historic PlacesOakville, Ontario1924
A centrally located building with a low-pitched gable roof; home of A Company, The Lorne Scots.
Col J.R. Barber Armoury
91 Todd Road		1997Canada's Register of Historic PlacesGeorgetown, Ontario
Centrally located structure with a low-pitched gable roof houses C Company, The Lorne Scots.
Dalton Armoury2006Toronto, Ontario
Home of Buffs Company, The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada.