About the Canadian Coast Guard College

The Canadian Coast Guard College provides marine training for the Coast Guard officers. We develop future officers and offer ongoing training for Coast Guard personnel. Our unique and specialized maritime training is highly regarded by organizations around the world.

The college is one of the best equipped marine training facilities in the world. Officer cadets and trainees are taught in small classes to optimize learning. We deliver all training and services in both English and French.

Our campus is conveniently situated on Sydney harbour. It provides an all-inclusive and comfortable home for officer cadets.

When you join the college, you'll join an elite and supportive community. We are here to help you achieve academic success and make your college experience memorable.

The college offers a variety of accommodations for:

• officer cadets
• trainees
• government employees on travel status

Officer cadets live in cabin-like accommodations called clusters. The clusters emulate life on board a vessel and foster a team atmosphere. Each cluster is made up of:

• 8 private rooms
• a shared bathroom
• a shared living room

Every day chefs prepare a variety of healthy, well-balanced meals to meet the needs of our campus community. They include vegetarian dishes and can meet other dietary needs, with prior notice. During the summer, they offer an occasional barbecue menu.

The galley offers indoor and outdoor seating. It's a relaxing place to:

• take a break
• share a meal
• socialize with your peers

The John Adams Library and Learning Commons at the Canadian Coast Guard College bilingual collection is focused on nautical science and technology. It has print and electronic resources that support the academic programs we offer, and modern spaces for meetings or study.

The wellness centre and sports complex promotes and enhances the health and wellness of:

• officer cadets
• trainees
• staff

As part of campus life, you can have fun and take part in friendly competitions with your peers and staff.

The multi-functional facility includes:

• a music room
• a squash court
• a double gymnasium
• a 25-metre swimming pool
• fitness rooms with modern equipment

The campus hosts college sports teams and clubs, which may include:

• hockey
• archery
• triathlon
• swim meets
• scuba diving
• boat regattas
• the Cabot Trail relay
• intramural sports, such as:
• soccer
• volleyball
• basketball
• floor hockey

Officer cadets and trainees have access to:

• simulators
• classrooms
• an auditorium
• conference rooms

This facility is home to the vessels that we use for instruction. You'll learn how to navigate:

• sailboats
• rescue crafts
• power vessels

You'll learn valuable on-water skills throughout the summer school term, including:

• aids to navigation
• environmental response
• search and rescue procedures

Officer cadets and trainees in the engineering stream learn hands-on in this training facility. You'll practice skills needed for the Coast Guard fleet, including:

• welding and machining
• refrigeration and hydraulics
• engine repair and rebuilding

Our fully-functioning replica diesel engine features:

• a control room
• equipment
• operating systems

This allows students to practice hands-on skills they will need to safely work in a ship's engine room. You'll learn how to:

• operate the engine
• monitor the performance of ship's systems
• dismantle and rebuild components of the engine
• perform basic maintenance according to the maintenance schedule

The marine propulsion plant simulator replicates a typical engine and control rooms of a Coast Guard vessel. You'll learn:

• watch-keeping routines
• monitoring the performance of ship's systems, including:
• pumps
• engines
• other systems

Celestial navigation is a highly specialized skill that could be life-saving in case of a power outage while at sea. Our planetarium simulates the night sky and helps you to learn about:

• constellations
• star identification
• night sky orientation from any point on earth, in any season

The Marine Navigation Simulator contains 6 simulated ship bridges. The bridges have the latest marine navigational training capabilities that you would find in modern ship's bridges at sea today and have the capability of portraying any Canadian port or body of water.

You'll learn how to:

• manoeuvre a vessel under various marine environmental conditions
• respond to different routine and emergency scenarios on a ship's bridge, in the role of officer-of-the-watch
• navigate in a safe and efficient manner as the legal representative of the commanding officer (captain)

This simulator replicates Coast Guard's icebreaking services for ferries and commercial and fishing vessels. You'll learn how to:

• navigate safely
• maintain shipping routes
• escort vessels through ice
• provide harbour breakouts
• provide ice information services
• maintain open routes for maritime commerce
• prevent flooding and the formation of ice jams

By using the vessel traffic services simulator, you'll gain experience in:

• traffic clearance
• assessing relevant traffic
• passing on navigational information
• issuing a direction and a recommendation
• Marine Communications and Traffic Services powers

You'll also learn how to make reports, such as:

• vessel reports
• prior to zone entry
• upon arrival at a calling-in-point
• upon arrival at a berth
• before commencing a departure manoeuvre
• upon completion of a departure manoeuvre
• before commencing a manoeuvre that may be detrimental to safe navigation
• after the manoeuvre is completed
• pollution reports
• contravention reports

• On May 5, 1964, Minister of Transport J.W. Pickersgill announced the government's plan to establish an officer training college for the Canadian Coast Guard.
• The Canadian Coast Guard College officially opened on September 7, 1965 with programs in Marine Engineering and Navigation Officer Training.
• The campus was originally located on the former Point Edward Naval Base and was moved to the current Westmount complex in 1981.