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New base commander marched in at CFB Borden

Col. Dan Rivière will lead the largest training establishment in the Canadian Armed Forces
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Col. Daniel Riviere is the incoming base commander at CFB Borden, which is located west of Barrie. Photo Credit: Aviator Valerie Mailhot, Canadian Forces Support Group (Ottawa-Gatineau)

NEWS RELEASE
CANADIAN FORCES BASE BORDEN
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CFB BORDEN – Col. Dan Rivière assumed command today of Canadian Forces Base Borden and Military Personnel Generation Training Group (MPGTG) from Brig.-Gen. Andrew Atherton during a small ceremony at CFB Borden.

Brigadier-General Liam McGarry, Commander, Military Personnel Generation Group, was the witnessing officer of the ceremony, which was streamed live on the Canadian Forces Base Borden Facebook page.

Col. Rivière will lead the largest training establishment in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and, a base that traces its origins back to 1916. Known as Camp Borden then, it served as a major training centre for soldiers who would later serve on First World War battlefields in Europe, including Vimy Ridge. It continues serving as an operational support base for the CAF, most recently as a staging area for military members who deployed to help Ontario Long-Term Care Facilities in their management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quotes
“Serving as Commander of CFB Borden and Military Personnel Generation Training Group has been extremely rewarding thanks to the dedication of the men and women who made up this team. It has been an honour for me to serve alongside them, and I will miss serving with such a remarkable group of people during the challenges that COVID-19 posed. The base is an important part of Simcoe County going back now more than a century, and we can’t do the great things we do here without the support of our neighbours. I thank our local community for their steadfast support of the base and the Canadian Armed Forces, and I leave with many fond memories of my time in Simcoe County.”

- Brigadier-General Andrew Atherton, outgoing Commander of CFB Borden and MPGTG

“I am truly honoured, and humbled to be afforded the privilege of commanding CFB Borden and Military Personnel Generation Training Group. This is a base steeped in history and it is woven into the fabric of Simcoe County. To all members of the CFB Borden Defence Team, their families, and our neighbours in Simcoe County; Chief Campbell and I look forward to working with you over the next few years as we continue to move Borden forward into its second century of service to Canadians.”

- Colonel Dan Rivière, incoming Commander of CFB Borden and MPGTG

Quick Facts:

  • Colonel Dan Rivière is a logistics officer and highly respected leader who has served on numerous overseas tours including deployments to Haiti, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Afghanistan. 
  • Brigadier-General Andrew Atherton has served as the Commander of CFB Borden and MPGTG since March of 2018 and, has been appointed as the Director General Professional Military Conduct, in Ottawa, Ont. Brigadier-General Atherton’s leadership was instrumental in increasing the training capacity of CFB Borden and MPGTG in order to grow the size of the Canadian Armed Forces as mandated under Strong, Secure, Engaged
  • MPGTG trains and educates Canadian Armed Forces members employed in primarily support functions. This includes, but is not limited to, logisticians, clerks, cooks, firefighters, and chaplains. 
  • MPGTG has eight training establishments, four of which are located at CFB Borden. The Commander of CFB Borden also serves as the Commander of MPGTG.  
  • CFB Borden served as a major mounting base as part of the Canadian Armed Forces domestic response to COVID-19 in Long-Term Care Facilities in Ontario in the spring of 2020.

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