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2010 Olympics

Military coming to YVR this fall

VANCOUVER - The military is shacking up with a VANOC sponsor at Vancouver International Airport.

Defence Construction Canada published a request for qualifications for contractors on Thursday for a $1.5 million partial renovation of an Air Canada hangar at YVR.

Construction is to begin Aug. 1 and be complete by Oct. 1. Deadline for bids is July 7.

"This project is to provide a temporary facility for the Department of National Defence," said the federal procurement document.

The document does not specifically mention the 2010 Winter Olympics, but the Oct. 1 completion means the facility would be ready for November's full-scale Exercise Gold security rehearsal and the 2010 Games.

Air Canada did not return a phone call or email.

A call to Joint Task Force Games, the Esquimalt-based agency overseeing Canadian Forces' Games involvement, was also not returned.

The 2010 Games could see the biggest military presence at YVR since the Second World War. DND and Transport Canada operated the airport from 1940-1947 under lease from the City of Vancouver.

Bob Mackin reports for Vancouver 24 hours.

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