32 Canadian Brigade Group

32 Canadian Brigade Group (32CBG) 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.

32nd (Reserve) Brigade Group
32 Canadian Brigade Group
32 Canadian Brigade Group – the Army Reserve in Toronto and Central Ontario.
Active1942–1946
1 April 1997–present
Country Canada
Branch Primary Reserve
TypeHeadquarters
Part of4th Canadian Division
Garrison/HQLCol George Taylor Denison III Armoury
ASU Toronto
Motto(s)"Steadfast"
Official Websitehttp://www.army-armee.forces.gc.ca/en/32-cbg/index.page

Brigade Command

Colonel 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 (Regular and Reserve) and civilian.

History

Second World War

32nd (Reserve) 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.[1] During its existence, the brigade group was headquartered in Toronto and it held the following organization:

  • Canadian Infantry Corps
  • Canadian Armoured Corps
  • Royal Canadian Artillery
    • 32nd (Reserve) Field Regiment, RCA
  • Royal Canadian Engineers
  • Royal Canadian Army Service Corps
    • Brigade Group Company, 2nd (Reserve) Divisional, RCASC
  • Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps
    • No.2 (Reserve) Field Ambulance, RCAMC
  • Royal Canadian Corps of Signals
    • E Section, A (Reserve) Corps Signals, RCCS
    • J Section, 2nd (Reserve) Divisional Signals, RCCS
  • Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps / Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
    • No.2 Group, No.1 (Reserve) Divisional Workshop, (RCOC) RCEME
    • No.5 (Reserve) Light Aid Detachment, (RCOC) RCEME
    • No.6 (Reserve) Light Aid Detachment, (RCOC) RCEME
    • No.7 (Reserve) Light Aid Detachment, (RCOC) RCEME
    • No.8 (Reserve) Light Aid Detachment, (RCOC) RCEME

1997 to Present

32 Canadian Brigade Group (CBG) 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
32 Canadian Brigade GroupBranchLocation
32 Canadian Brigade Group HeadquartersToronto
The Governor General's Horse GuardsReconnaissanceToronto
The Queen's York Rangers (1st American Regiment) (RCAC)ReconnaissanceToronto and Aurora, Ontario
7th Toronto Regiment, RCAArtilleryToronto
56th Field Artillery Regiment, RCAArtilleryBrantford, St Catharines, and Simcoe
32 Combat Engineer RegimentEngineerToronto
32 Signal RegimentCommunicationsToronto and Borden
The Queen's Own Rifles of CanadaAirborne InfantryToronto (Downtown & Scarborough)
The Royal Regiment of CanadaInfantryToronto
The Lincoln and Welland RegimentInfantrySt. Catharines
The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment)InfantryBrampton, Oakville and Georgetown
48th Highlanders of CanadaInfantryToronto
The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's Own)InfantryToronto and Mississauga
32 Service BattalionCombat Service SupportToronto
2 Intelligence CompanyCombat SupportToronto

Armouries

In the Canadian Forces, an armoury is a place where a reserve unit trains, meets, and parades.

Site Date(s) Designated Location Description Image
Brampton Armoury
2 and 12 Chapel Street		 1914–15 1991 Recognized – Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings Brampton, 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		 2003 Canada's Register of Historic Places Toronto, 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		 1933–35 1991 Federal Heritage building; on the Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings Toronto, 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 (1st American Regiment), 32 Signal Regiment and 32 Canadian Brigade Group Battle School.
Captain Bellenden Seymour Hutcheson VC Armoury
70 Birmingham Street		 2009 Toronto, 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 (LEEDS) Green Building Rating System. This armoury is home to The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's Own).
Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Beckett Armoury
7535 - 9th Line		 May 12, 2012 Mississauga, Ontario

The Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Beckett Armoury is a shared facility with the Mississauga Fire Department (Garry W. Morden Centre), 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 (LEEDS) Green Building Rating System. This armoury is home to The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's Own) 75th Mississauga Company.
Moss Park Armoury
130 Queen Street East		 1965 Canada's Register of Historic Places Toronto, 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 Armoury 1924 Canada's Register of Historic Places Oakville, Ontario 1924

A centrally located building with a low-pitched gable roof; home of A Company, The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment).
Col J.R. Barber Armoury
91 Todd Road		 1997 Canada's Register of Historic Places Georgetown, Ontario

Centrally located structure with a low-pitched gable roof houses C Company, The Lorne Scots.
Dalton Armoury 2006 Toronto, Ontario

Home of Buffs Company, The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada.

See also

References
  1. "Reserve Brigades - Second World War". Canadian Soldiers.com. 24 February 2013.
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