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A current look at Slemon Park’s business and residential community:

Strategic Development

• More than 30 separate commercial buildings and 259 residential housing units are managed by Slemon Park on its 1,400 acres of developed and undeveloped land.
• Over 830,000 square feet of space is available for commercial rent at Slemon Park – the equivalent of approximately 14 football fields; of which 60% is prime commercial space.
• More than 30 commercial organizations are located at Slemon Park, occupying approximately 90% of all available space.
• There has been more than $80 million dollars invested in Slemon Park facilities over the last four years by both public and private sectors.
• Approximately 1,100 people are employed at Slemon Park, an increase of 15% from 2016 levels, with more than an estimated $65 million in payroll generated for Prince Edward Islanders, their families and their communities.

World-Class Aerospace

• Slemon Park is the focal point in Prince Edward Island for the development of the province’s aerospace industry.
• Aerospace is a major industry in Prince Edward Island with one of the top Provincial exports being aircraft engines and engine parts. In 2019, turbo-jets, propellers and other gas turbines contributed to 17% of all exports from Prince Edward Island.
• In 2019, Slemon Park organizations contributed over $140 million or 2.6% to the provincial GDP and $27 million in tax revenue.

Training Destination

• Holland College’s Atlantic Police Academy (APA) has been located at Slemon Park since 1993.
• In 2019, Slemon Park in partnership with APA became the site of the National Satellite Training Academy for Correctional Service Canada (CSC) in the training of federal correctional officers.
• More than 35,000 training days were delivered at Slemon Park by APA, CSC, the RCMP, Parks Canada, Department of Fisheries, the Royal Canadian Air Force, Canada Border Services Agency, and other organizations in 2019. An increase of 60% over 2016 levels.

Hotel & Conference Centre

• Slemon Park Hotel & Conference Centre sold 17,000 room nights and served 191,000 meals through Anson’s Restaurant and on-site food services in 2019, increases of 40% (room nights) and 300% (meals) over 2016 activity levels.

Residential Community

• Slemon Park is home to more than 230 families and 700 people, living in quality and affordable two, three and four-bedroom houses and duplexes.
• Recently, Slemon Park added six new one-story two-bedroom homes to our “Living Made Easy” community.

Slemon Park’s mandate is to create jobs and wealth in Prince Edward Island.

MRSB Group completed a 2019 economic impact study focused on Slemon Park. The study, “Slemon Park: Supporting Economic Growth in Prince Edward Island,” explores the economic impact generated by the commercial organizations operating in Slemon Park, Prince Edward Island for the 2018-19 fiscal year.

Slemon Park’s vision is an active and vibrant community building prosperity for Islanders.

MRSB Group completed a 2024 strategic plan focused on this vision and the strategic priorities of aerospace centre of excellence, public safety training, diversification and commercial development, residential community, and sustainable development.

What is now Slemon Park, began as Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Station Summerside, a base constructed in 1940 to support the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP). The BCATP trained Canadian and Allied aircrew during the Second World War.

By the time the BCATP ended in 1945, 6,004 aircrew had been trained at Summerside.

At the end of WWII, RCAF Station Summerside was virtually shut down with only a caretaker staff of 50 remaining to maintain the buildings.

RCAF Station Summerside was reactivated in 1948 as home of the RCAF Air Navigation School.

In 1949, with the advent of the Cold War and the formation of NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization), students from other countries arrived to take the Air Navigation School course. An expansion of RCAF Station Summerside was required. Air Vice Marshall Roy Slemon officially opened the Permanent Married Quarters (PMQ) at RCAF Station Summerside. 150 families were accommodated in the housing complex that was named Slemon Park.

RCAF Station Summerside began a new role under Maritime Air Command in 1953.

When Canada joined NORAD (North American Air Defense Command) in 1957, RCAF Station Summerside was back in the business of defense since NORAD also coordinated maritime forces, including Canadian patrol aircraft to counter Soviet submarines.

The 1959-established Maritime Proving & Evaluation Unit at Summerside was responsible for test and evaluation work on anti-submarine equipment, armament and tactics.

In 1961, the Second World War’s famed 415 Squadron was reformed at Summerside as ‘415 Maritime Patrol Squadron’ to provide anti-submarine and ship surveillance on the North Atlantic.

RCAF Station Summerside became Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Summerside in 1968 with the unification of the Canadian Armed Forces.

The Maritime Proving & Evaluation Unit left Summerside in 1978, and the 415 Squadron ended its long association with Summerside in 1981. Both units transferred to Greenwood, NS.

From 1981 on, CFB Summerside’s primary role was to conduct sovereignty and coastal fisheries patrols in support of the Department of Fisheries.

Ottawa announced the closure of CFB Summerside in 1989. CFB Summerside officially closed in 1992, and Slemon Park Corporation assumed ownership of the base assets.

Slemon Park Corporation redeveloped the military property into a globally competitive business park focused on aerospace, manufacturing, and public safety training.

Today, Slemon Park is owned by the Province of Prince Edward Island and continues to build economic prosperity for Islanders. Businesses at Slemon Park generate over $65 million in wages, spend $126.8 million locally, and produce $305 million in exports annually.

The Air Force Heritage Park at Slemon Park represents the property’s proud 50 year air force history. It features three vintage aircraft (the Tracker, Argus and Voodoo) as representatives of the many aircraft that once flew at the former base.