Expansion

• Establishment
• Expansion
• 1962-2007
• The College Today

By the mid-1980s, the Canadian Coast Guard College was expanding its recreational facilities. Built under one roof for the 1987 Canada Winter Games were a 52 metre gym and a 25-metre swimming pool. Following the expansion of the residential block came the construction of a control station, a reception and waiting area, a boardroom, a chapel, a storage area and a central corridor that would connect the new and old residences. During this time, Transport Canada funded a new Marine Engineering Training Facility (referred to as the Machine Shop). The Machine Shop is used to train engineers in machining, welding and engine maintenance. Constructed at the same time was a new Waterfront Training Facility (referred to as the Boathouse). This area is used for seamanship training and small boat handling training. Until the mid-1980s, practical instruction for Officer Cadets had taken place at the pre-1965 Point Edward Naval Base facilities. Upon completion, the new engineering training facility was almost three times the size of the previous shop, housing modern simulators and classrooms.

18th Century Charts Donated to CGCC
In 1988, Dr. A. W. Gyorfi donated a rare piece of nautical history to the Canadian Coast Guard College. The collection consists of 28 authentic charts by 18th-century cartographers such as d'Anville, Bellin, Chabert and Jeffreys. In creating the collection, Gyorfi concentrated on Cape Breton Island, and more particularly on Louisbourg and the smaller fortress locales which supported the French presence in the area. Also included in the collection are charts depicting the sphere of French influence, such as the mainland of Nova Scotia, the lower Gulf of St. Lawrence, and the southeast coast of Newfoundland. Because the collection includes English cartographers whose charts treat the same geographical area, the viewer can see at a glance the historical struggles for possession of this territory that occurred between the two principal powers of the day. The collection remains on display in the College's John Adams Library.

The 1990s
During the 1990s the Canadian Coast Guard College continued to build its international reputation.  Because of its work on standardizing language at sea, the College was asked to create an international maritime language program.  Around the same time Sydney Coast Guard Radio moved its operations to the CCGC complex.  1990 also marked the 25th anniversary of the College, which by then had graduated 771 Officer Cadets from the Officer Training Program.  In  1992, the federal government's Maritime Training Centre was moved to the College from Cornwall, Ontario, bringing with it Vessel Traffic Services (VTS), Radio Operations (RO), Logistics and Search and Rescue (SAR) Training Departments.

In response to the decreased demand for new Canadian Coast Guard Officers in the early 1990s, the College reduced the number of OTP Candidates it was accepting, and began to chart a new direction and focus. Changes were made to the College's cluster-style accommodations to reflect newer short-term training taking place at the College. One classroom was re-configured into a Rescue Co-ordination Centre for the SAR Department and the most advanced RCC simulator in the world was installed. Other new simulators were ordered such as the Blind Pilotage Simulator (with an out-of-the window Norview 2000 visual display system), the PPT 2000 Propulsion Plant Trainer Simulator and the Vessel Traffic Services Simulator. The very first CCGC graduates from the National Marine Traffic Regulator's program took their positions with the Canadian Vessel Traffic Services Centres.