Breaking New Ground—Stories from Defence Construction Breaking_new_ground | Page 52

In March 1967, changes resulting from DND’s unification
prompted Treasury Board to ask DND to review DCL’s
existence. The resulting review concluded that objectives
of the 1965 MOU were being met, and that—with
some minor exceptions—DCL was carrying out its
functions efficiently and effectively. Most important, the
study team concluded that “based on its efficient and
effective operation and estimated annual workload,
Defence Construction (1951) Limited should retain its
status as a Crown corporation reporting to the Minister
of National Defence.”
The flexibility of the Crown corporation was utilized to its
full extent. There was a core of continuing employees
and term employees to suit the workload, with everyone
in the company subject to the 30-days-notice policy
regarding termination. Yet, there were many employees
who continued with the company year after year. There
were transfers, secondments and special projects.
Some people left for a few years, only to return later
and continue to serve with renewed vigour. Joe Bland’s
sense of fairness extended to the employees. DCL was
often quite demanding of its staff, but social benefits
were kept in line with those of the Public Service and
in some respects ahead of them: for instance, DCL
was one of the first government agencies to have a
dental plan.
Meanwhile, back at Head Office
As the 1960s progressed, the volume of defence
construction projects dropped, and so too did the need
for many of DCL’s staff. This had begun in the late
1950s with a slimmed-down DCL sitting at about 170
On a lighter note, DCL did require of its employees a
people, and it continued into the 1960s. To maintain the
certain amount of paperwork to back up the trust it
highest numbers of staff possible and to use the staff to
placed in them.
the best advantage, DCL began to look at other ways to
use—and therefore keep—its personnel resources.
Offering proof…
Ottawa, 1960s—Terry Kelly
Joe Bland explained the concept:
I remember an incident from years ago, when some
work was being done on a runway at Portage la Prairie.
In addition to handling DND requirements, DCL embarked
Ralph Burns, who was at that time in charge of supplies
on a program of selling its services to others and loaning
for the company, received a request for a new level rod.
people to other government departments and the private
The old one had apparently been run over by an aircraft.
sector. Two of our important new clients were the
To make the request, the Regional Office sent Ralph a
Canadian Corporation for the World Exhibition at Montreal
picture of the broken rod lying on the ground. A “P.S.”
(Expo 67) with our old friends, Bob Shaw and Col.
was included—“the rod man got away.”
Ed Churchill, and [later, in the 1970s] the Canadian
International Development Agency (CIDA), particularly
Terry Kelly began his career with DCL in 1960, and
in the Caribbean. By the way, those Caribbean projects
was Vice-President of Operations and Chief Engineer at
were by no means the holiday that some thought. It is of
Head Office in Ottawa (when he retired in 1993).
interest that, as a result of this ‘sales’ program, DCL’s
cons