Just as Rivers was recovering from the Great Depression, the establishment of the Air Force Base just outside of town changed everything.  Rivers was (is) a railway town and the direct trans-continental rail link to ports in Eastern Canada was essential to its role as the site of a vital wartime project. We were far from the front…but connected.

RCAF Station Rivers opened May 1942 when No. 1 Air Navigation School re-located to Rivers from RCAF Station Trenton, becoming No. 1 Central Navigation.

The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan saw 130,000 personnel from Great Britain and the Commonwealth graduate from 107 training schools across Canada. The impact of that decision was lasting and transformative.
People from all over the Commonwealth were transplanted into the municipality. The economic spin-offs were enormous. The very identity of the town was shaped by the proximity of the thousands of young men. Relationships were built, many of which lasted long after the war was over. 

As the war progressed, Rivers also became a training centre for Army pilots, parachutists and flying instructors from the Army, RCN and RCAF. Additionally, the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals and the Air Dispatch School made Rivers their home.

By the time No. 1 CNS disbanded in August 1945, a combined total of 11406 Commonwealth navigators had been trained here.

RCAF Station Rivers – A Peacetime Role

 
The wartime training that took place here was a huge contribution to the Allied war effort and the people of Rivers were (and are) justifiably were proud to be part of it. That alone would have shaped the nature of the town of Rivers for decades to come.
But the real long-term impact was assured when RCAF Station Rivers remained open after the war, becoming part of the post-war RCAF. For the next two decades it served a variety of training functions, all vital to the purpose of a Peacetime Armed Forces in a Cold War world.

The Army Aviation Tactical Training School provided pilot training to Army aviators, as well as helicopter instructor training for the Army, RCN and RCAF. No. 6 Signal Regiment, Royal Canadian Corps of Signals and the Air Support Signals Unit provided communications duties at Rivers. 

The Canadian Parachute Training Centre, established at Camp Shilo in 1942, merged with the Airborne School of the Canadian Joint Air Training Centre and relocated to RCAF Station Rivers, making the station Canada's main para-training centre.

Aside from the importance of these various training missions to our national security, there were countless benefits to the local community.  In 1948, the Joint Air Photo Interpretation School opened at RCAF Station Rivers. While the analysis of aerial photographs certainly had vital civil defense purposes, locally we were left with a series of vivid aerial photos of local towns and sites that help us continue to interpret our regional history. In some cases they are the only existing visual reminders available.

People in Rivers today still remember seeing movies at the Base Theatre, playing volleyball in the excellent gym, swimming in the pool and attending dances and social events.




In 1956, with the Royal Canadian Navy having recently acquired its first fighter jet, the F2H3 Banshee, pilots from VF 870 and VF 871 Squadrons were also sent to Rivers for training. These and other functions came and went over the years As a result of the Unification; RCAF Station Rivers was re-named CFB Rivers.

The End of an Era

In much the same way as events conspired to create a situation whereby the timing was right to establish a Bicycle Factory in rural Manitoba, a series of events seemed to work together to close CFB Rivers.

In a way it came down to cost cutting and politics. The nature of armed forces is always changing. The nature of defense needs changes with changes in technology and the international situation. As the memory of World War 2 faded and the geopolitical makeup of the work changed, new priorities emerged.

An earlier example was the story of the Avro Arrow, an advanced fighter jet developed in Canada, then scrapped after a huge expense. Why? Our American neighbours were already changing the focus of nuclear defense by focusing on missiles rather than planes. Canada felt pressure to do the same. The next war would be much different from the last one.

The Federal Government had already amalgamated Canada’s Armed Forces, and the next step was “rationalizing” military installations. In other words, the feeling was that there were too many Forces bases and we could do without a few. CFB Rivers was declared surplus to defense needs and as a result, the station closed in September 1971.


A New Life

In September 1972, the land was turned over to the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development for use as an industrial training centre for Manitoba First Nations, the Oo-Za-We-Kwun Centre. 
The Centre was designed to be a unique and innovative experiment to improve the well-being of Canada's poorest demographic group.

The Air Force base provided a 2,500-acre site and the Centre had a maximum population of 3,000 people. It included an industrial park with four industries, a day care centre, a school, a recreation program and counseling services.

The concept was first developed by Frank E. Price (1931-2015) in the proposal, Rivers Training Centre: A Social Change Program for Indian People. The identified needs of First Nations people included lack of training and saleable skills, and the inability to relate to an urban environment. 

The stated purpose of the Oo-za-we-kwun Centre was to "provide technical training facilities to Indians so they may find better employment". Its objective was to provide "Canadian Natives with training, employment and a future ... bringing together different cultures into a closely-knit community environment."

Today we might reject the plan as being based upon some cultural presumptions, but in 1972 it was well-intentioned and had the support of the Manitoba Indian Brotherhood.

According to its own publicity, the Centre was "designed to help Native People participate more effectively in a modern Canadian environment. The residential family program includes a five-week Life Skills course followed by a two-year transfer of learning period during which counseling, paid employment, and community activities are available." The Centre was named after Oo-za-we-kwun (O-zah-wah-sko-gwan-na-be or Yellow Quill), c1840-1910, chief of the then Portage Band of the Plains Ojibway. He was signatory of the 1871 Treaty One between Canada and the First Nations.

The Oo-za-we-kwun Centre was initially funded by the federal government department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, the Manitoba Government and the Manitoba Indian Brotherhood although the latter two pulled out during the life of the Centre.

Initially deemed a success, the Centre attracted some notable clients.

Edson Industries, a truck camper and trailer manufacturer moved from Neepawa, Manitoba, to benefit from the subsidies provided. It employed 80 people but went bankrupt in 1983.

Arnold Manufacturing produced vinyl furniture, which then evolved into fiberglass seating, as it was sturdy and vandal-proof, for restaurants such as McDonalds. After closure, they moved to Windsor, Ontario. The company was involuntarily dissolved in 1988.

Tim-Br-Fab Industries produced pre-fabricated home packages. They were sold across Western Canada. The company survived. It is now located in Oak Bluff, Manitoba. It retains essentially the same business model.

Over 10,000 people took part in the Oo-za-we-kwun program. A number of important Canadian Indigenous leaders worked or trained there:

Ernie Daniels, chief of Long Plain First Nation (1978-1984) and Vice-chief of the Assembly of First Nations
Eli Taylor, chief of Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, elder.
Alan Pratt, elder, Sioux Valley Dakota Nation.
Norman Fleury, professor Brandon University, elder, Metis National Council.
Margaret Smith Lavallée, Elder in Residence, University of Manitoba.
Jules Lavallée, Elder in Residence, Red River College.
Violet Daniels, elder, Peguis First Nation
John Hicks, Churchill, Manitoba, Chairperson, Atuqtuarvik Corporation
Ken Courchene Jr., Chief, Sagkeeng First Nation.

There is an active "alumni", composed largely of children who were brought up at the Centre. 

The Centre was closed in 1980 when the then Department of Indian Affairs removed its funding. The land had some continued military use until 1982 when Federal Government then offered the base for sale to the public.