That's a very good question, Mr. Opitz.
Let me begin by thanking you for your 30-plus years of service in uniform in the Canadian Forces. I know that you have an outstanding record of military service. It's great to have you as a member of this committee, given your on-the-ground experience.
With respect to supplementary estimates (B) and the Natural Resources partnering that we have with the Canadian Forces for the Arctic research centre, this initiative is very much in keeping with priorities that the Canadian Forces and the Canadian government have set around having a further expanded footprint in the Arctic, if you will. It's in keeping with the core missions of the Canadian Forces, and it will allow us, in partnership with Natural Resources, to have a greater presence there and larger continental operations around the Arctic.
The Canadian army, as you know, has been heavily involved with the Canadian Rangers in the Arctic for some time, which gives us greater visibility and reach into what can be an unforgiving environment there, in terms of the challenges we face. So for sovereignty patrols, for surveillance, for the collection of local data, and for the mutually reinforcing partnership we have with other departments, including Natural Resources, this presence I believe will greatly enhance that capability and that presence we need in the Arctic.
We've also been working with Public Works and with NRCan to design this new facility. I'm told by the department that this design will essentially be completed this month--in November--and the final design review will begin in December. So we're well on our way. We have a construction firm that is building its new location, its new facility. The subcontractor for that building is doing it in a unique way that I'm sure many of you have seen. These buildings are prefabricated essentially. I don't want to use the analogy of Lego blocks, but because of the harsh climate, they're assembled in a way that is quite unique. These are transported there as part of the annual sealift.
There are no delays. That's the good news. Everything appears to be moving on time or ahead of schedule, with the completion date given as the summer of 2013. The contractor has actually indicated, in the notes I have, that they expect to exceed the current milestones that have been placed, and that this in fact may be finished ahead of time. So there is a good news story with respect to this facility. As you know, it's one of a number of installations that we're proceeding with, including a deepwater refuelling station at Nanisivik.