Armed Forces touch down in North Bay for emergency training this weekend
This weekend, the Canadian Armed Forces will be conducting an emergency response training exercise with local government and partner agencies in Mattawa and North Bay.
‘Trillium Venture’ is being held across Ontario. It’s led by Joint Task Force Central, headquartered in Toronto, and includes members of the armed forces from the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal Canadian Navy.
Friday morning, a Hercules CC-130 jet landed at the North Bay Jack Garland Airport. Crew members scrambled into action, unloading critical supplies from the Canadian Force Base in Kingston and putting the cargo into trucks for delivery. (Photo from video)
Friday morning, a Hercules CC-130 jet landed at the North Bay Jack Garland Airport. Crew members scrambled into action, unloading critical supplies from the Canadian Force Base in Kingston and putting the cargo into trucks for delivery.
“The aircraft landed on time and then we saw the green trucks rolling up,” said 22 Wing/Canadian Forces Base Lieutenant Col. Ken Bedley.
“So it's a true indication of that -- that joint coordinated planning effort between the army and the air force.”
Around 200 soldiers from the Canadian Army’s 33 Canadian Brigade Group will form 33 Territorial Battalion Group, including soldiers from the region deploying to the North Bay and Mattawa areas in a realistic emergency response scenario.
Military members and assets will respond to a simulated flooding emergency that devastated the town’s infrastructure and citizens.
The crew will prepare a unified response with local, regional and other partners in the community.
Brig.-Gen. Joshua Major, commander of 4th Division and Joint Task Force, is overseeing the operation. He actually grew up in Mattawa.
“When the call comes for us to participate in a situation, we have to be ready to step up immediately,” Major told reporters.
“The leadership was keen on having us present. So we chose that community because of some of those factors. We're doing this exercise approximately about across seven or eight communities across Ontario.”
The exercise will include various RCAF aircraft landing, including CH-147 Chinook helicopters that will deliver cargo in the heart of Mattawa on Saturday afternoon, and then conduct troop transports around the area.
Waterborne assets, including those from the Naval Reserve, will also participate in the joint exercise.
Activities will also include the participation of other government departments and first responders including police and fire services, Emergency Management Ontario, local governments and others.
The arena complex will serve as a headquarters and will house nearly 150 soldiers during the exercise. The Mike Rodden Arena, located at 450 Hurdman St. in Mattawa, will be inaccessible during the exercise.
Mattawa Mayor Raymond Belanger recalled the 2019 floods in the community and said the town and its citizens can use this opportunity as a chance to learn.
“We suffered a lot of infrastructure damage. We are trying to get better in case, you know, that we have to meet another flood of that of that size,” Belanger said.
Mattawa will host a Meet-a-Soldier event on Saturday from 1-4 p.m. Military, police, fire and other first responders will attend with vehicles and displays for all ages. The event will take place at the Mattawa Museum parking lot, 285 First St.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
Lyon-bound Air Canada Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Montreal turns back midflight due to pressurization alert
Passengers heading from Montreal to Lyon, France on Friday were forced to return home and depart the next day after a pressurization indication was detected in flight.
Oilers dominate Canucks, win to force deciding Game 7
The Edmonton Oilers avoided elimination from the NHL playoffs Saturday night, beating the visiting Vancouver Canucks 5-1 in Game 6 of their second-round series.
The eight most expensive homes for sale in Ottawa this spring
Ottawa's ultra luxury housing market is blooming like the tulips this spring, with a significant increase in the number of homes sold worth more than $2 million.
B.C. pipeline company argues its 'haulers' are not trucks, for tax purposes
A contractor working on the Coastal GasLink pipeline has been denied more than $333,000 worth of tax rebates because pieces of machinery it purchased – and claimed were not trucks – were deemed sufficiently truck-like in B.C. Supreme Court.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Usyk beats Fury by split decision, becomes undisputed heavyweight champion
Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion in 24 years.
To plant or not to plant? Gardening tips for May long weekend
May long weekend is finally here, and with the extra time off you may be getting the itch to head out to your garden and plant. However, the old debate whether you should plant now, or wait, is still ever-present.