Clarington is growing, with an expected population of 221,000 by 2051. To prepare, more infrastructure is needed to support the safety and well-being of our residents. Expanding public works and fire services to the developing areas of north Bowmanville and Newcastle will ensure sufficient response times to emergencies and provide comprehensive coverage across the municipality. This strategic expansion aligns with our broader goals of sustainable growth and improved public safety, ensuring that Clarington remains a safe and resilient community now and in the future.
Clarington Operations Depot, Emergency and Fire Services Training Facility
Future-ready: investing in Clarington’s fire services and public works infrastructure
The Municipality of Clarington is planning to build a state-of-the-art fire training facility, emergency fire station and public works operations depot at the north-east corner of Liberty Street North and Concession Road 4 in Bowmanville.
This facility is a key part of Clarington’s commitment to build resilient, sustainable, and safe communities. It will include:
- An Operations Depot with fleet storage, a dedicated wash bay, training rooms, administrative office space, and roads and parks operations
- A dry training tower, a live fire training tower, a classroom space, and a fire truck manoeuvring area
- An emergency fire station to serve the growing communities in north Bowmanville and Newcastle, along with rural areas
- Incident command training for senior fire officials
- Leadership development for future Fire Chiefs and Deputy Chiefs
- Certification programs for volunteer and career firefighters from underrepresented communities
Clarington was awarded a $3.2 million grant from the Government of Ontario’s Skills Development Fund: Capital Stream for the design and construction of this facility, which will be the first of its kind in Durham Region.
What’s next?
Site clearing is anticipated in 2026, followed by mobilization to the site by the general contractor.
A Public Information Centre will be scheduled in 2026 to present road improvement designs for Liberty Street North and Concession Road 4, receive comments and answer questions from residents in the area.
Stay in the know
Project updates will be shared directly on this page. We also invite you to subscribe to Clarington news and alerts.
Clarington’s first all-electric building
The Clarington Operations Depot, Emergency and Fire Services Training Facility will be the first of its kind in Durham Region – in more ways than one. This state-of-the-art facility will be Clarington’s first all-electric building, operating without the use of fossil fuels.
In fact, this project recently received the Leadership and Sustainability Impact Award from the Durham Greener Buildings program for the many sustainable and climate resilient features included in the design.
Learn more from Kaela Esseghaier, Clarington’s Director of Infrastructure. ➡️ ➡️ ➡️
Figure 1: Fire Station
An emergency fire station will serve the growing communities in north Bowmanville and Newcastle, along with rural areas.
Figure 1.2: Fire Training Compound
The state-of-the-art fire training facility will feature a dry training tower and live fire training tower.
Figure 1.3: Classroom Training Facility
A classroom facility will be used for training public works staff, leadership development for future Fire Chiefs and Deputy Chiefs and incident command training for senior fire officials.
Figure 2: Operations Depot
Connected to the fire station through a shared training room, the Operations Depot will include administrative offices on the second floor and staff space on the main floor.
Figure 2.1: Fleet Storage and Maintenance Bays
The site will include five vehicle storage bays and five fleet and parts storage bays.
Figure 3: Storage Area - Operations
The exterior will have covered and open storage for public works materials (i.e. salt/sand).
Figure 4: Fire Truck Maneuvering Area
At the back of the site there is a dedicated fire truck manoeuvring area. This area will be primarily accessible by Liberty Street North, and its multi-purpose surface will be used for summer driver training and winter snow storage.
Renderings have been prepared and provided by MJMA & JLR. Please note these renderings are conceptual. They are intended to represent the intent of the design, which is still under development. These images are not construction documents. Not all forms, materials, and assemblies represented here will necessarily be constructed as shown. Information contained in these renderings is for general review only.
| Date | Key actions |
|---|---|
| 2019 |
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| September 2020 |
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| February 2021 |
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| June 2023 |
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| April 2024 |
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| September 2024 |
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| Winter 2026 |
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| Summer 2026 |
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| 2028 |
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How is this new facility being funded?
The Ontario Government awarded Clarington $3.2 million through the Skills Development Fund to partially fund the Fire Training Facility, which will be the first of its kind in Durham Region. Since both the operations depot and fire station/training facility represent net-new facilities, the entire project is also estimated to be eligible for development charge financing. This means debenture payments will be financed from Development Charge reserve funds.
I live nearby. Will I experience disruptions due to construction activity?
Construction will include road improvements to Liberty Street North and Concession Road 4 in 2026. Although short-term interruptions to traffic will occur, Liberty Street North will remain open to through traffic, and local resident access will be maintained on Concession Road 4.
A Public Information Centre will be scheduled in 2026 to present the road improvement design in greater detail, receive comments from nearby residents, and answer any questions.
We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work to enhance public service and fire protection in Clarington.
I live nearby and am on a well system. Will the development of this facility impact my well water?
As part of this project, a Zone of Influence study has determined that there’s no expected impact to nearby water wells from the work planned for this site.
The live fire training tower will burn clean, combustible materials at high temperatures, significantly reducing smoke production. Additionally, the tower has been strategically positioned on-site so that prevailing winds carry any minimal smoke away from nearby residences.
Once operational, will nearby residents be impacted by noise from the fire training facility?
On-site operational noise will be minimal. The facility is being designed with a soil berm—a raised barrier made of compacted soil—that will help reduce noise and serve as a sound buffer between the site and nearby residential areas.
Key contacts
For additional information or inquiries, please reach out to:
Obaed Fizeeli
Project Manager, Capital Projects
Planning and Infrastructure Services
905-623-3379 ext. 2452 | ofizeeli@clarington.net
Kaela Esseghaier
Director of Infrastructure
Planning and Infrastructure Services
289-928-5135 | kesseghaier@clarington.net
