Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt is located just west of Victoria, British Columbia and is home to the Canadian Pacific Naval Fleet. First established as a military installation by the Royal Navy in 1855, CFB Esquimalt has been serving the Canadian Navy from its inception in 1910.

The base is responsible for providing support services to all ships and personnel of both Maritime Forces Pacific, which is responsible for maintaining multi-purpose, combat-capable maritime forces, and Joint Task Force Pacific, which is focussed on the defence of Canada and all civil support operations within the Pacific Region.

In addition to providing support services to both Regular and Reserve Force units, CFB Esquimalt houses organizations such as the Canadian Forces Fleet School, Venture, the Naval Officers Training Centre and Fleet Maintenance Facility Cape Breton. The base is essentially a community within a community, with its own services including police, fire, ambulance, postal, legal, social work and chaplains to name a few. The base’s security forces, along with the Queen’s Harbour Master are responsible for the safety and security of Esquimalt Harbour.

The Base Commander is the landlord of 1,500 buildings spread over 23 sites on nearly 5,000 hectares ranging from Masset to Matsqui. CFB Esquimalt and Maritime Forces Pacific contribute over half a billion dollars annually to the local economy and employ approximately 4000 military personnel and 2000 civilians. The Defence Team is proud of its contributions to the local community through fundraising and volunteering.