Camp Picton (at the time known as No. 31 Bombing and Gunnery School - currently known as Base31) was one of 151 British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) schools established across Canada between 1940-1945.

 

As a Canadian Forces Base (active from the Second World War to 1969) it served the Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and the Canadian Army.

       

It is the last remaining site of its kind in North America with many of the original buildings still intact. 

       

Base31 is currently owned by PEC Community Partners Inc.

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According to the Base31 website (https://base31.ca/about-us/):

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" "The site was decommissioned as a military base in 1969 and sold to former Mayor of Picton, H. J. McFarland. He renamed it Loch-Sloy Business Park in honour of his Scottish heritage. The site transferred ownership again in 1999 but the name was adapted to Loch-Sloy Business Park and Airport. Loch Sloy Holdings Inc. under the management of Jacqui Burley is credited with preserving many of the site’s heritage buildings and adapting them for flexible industrial and commercial spaces. PEC Community Partners Inc. finalized the purchase of the property on December 16, 2021.

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"Today, the site is a major cultural destination, hosting concerts by Canada’s top musicians, public art and galleries, night time experiences, food and drink establishments, outdoor leisure and play areas, children’s programming, historic tours and space for commercial and industrial operations. In 2025, Base31 will open a museum celebrating the site’s heritage and the role that it has played within the local community, the nation and globally."

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