Yorkton, SK

1975 - CFB Yorkton Information Booklet - Bob Tucker


CFS Yorkton is located approximately 11 miles north-west of the city of Yorkton, which can be located on any road map of Saskatchewan. On looking at the road map one finds Highway 14 going from Yorkton to Springside and onward to Saskatoon. Approximately half the distance from Yorkton to Springside is the village of Orcadia. One mile north, following the Orcadia grid road, is the access road to the unit which is clearly visible at this point.

CFS Yorkton was officially opened on 21 January, 1963, and is thus one of the newer units in Air Defence Command. The unit is the home of the 46th Radar Squadron, a heavy radar squadron, operationally responsible in the NORAD SAGE network to the 24th NORAD Region in Great Falls, Montana. Our purpose is thus, in conjunction with our numerous counterparts, to maintain a continuous watch on the North American skies, a demanding but very necessary task.

Yorkton is a city of 13,500 people. Its services a population of over 130,000 and as such is known as the "Heart of the Parkland", being in the parkland of southern Saskatchewan. Yorkton was founded in 1882 by a group of settlers from Toronto. From that time on it has been predominantly an agricultural area in Western Canada. Serving the farms that produce grain, vegetable, poultry and livestock is its main function. Recently, the world's largest deposit of potash was discovered in the Yorkton area, and with its discovery, industry began moving into the area.

CFS Yorkton has 90 PMQ's, 77 three bedroom and 13 four bedroom units. CFS Yorkton also has its own Canex store, a DND school which offers classes from kindergarten to grade eight, an MIR, auto hobby shop, and many other facilities.

-- Extracts from a 1975 Canadian Forces Base Yorkton Information Booklet courtesy of Bob Tucker