Re: Canadian Armed Forces Domestic Support

by Charlie Sun 25 Sep 2022, 8:07 am

Canadian military to help clean up Fiona's devastation

By ROB GILLIES
September 25, 2022

TORONTO — (AP) — Canadian troops are being sent to assist the recovery from the devastation of storm Fiona, which swept away houses, stripped off roofs and knocked out power across the country's Atlantic provinces.

After surging north from the Caribbean as a hurricane, Fiona came ashore before dawn Saturday as a post-tropical cyclone, battering Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Quebec with hurricane-strength winds, heavy rains and huge waves.

Defense Minister Anita Anand said Saturday that troops would help remove fallen trees and other debris, restore transportation links and do whatever else is required for as long as it takes. She didn’t specify how many troops would be deployed.

Fiona was blamed for at least five deaths in the Caribbean, but there was no confirmation of any fatalities or serious injuries in Canada. Police said a woman who might have been swept away was listed as missing in the town of Channel-Port Aux Basques on the southern coast of Newfoundland.

Raging surf pounded Port Aux Basques and entire structures were washed into the sea.

“I’m seeing homes in the ocean. I’m seeing rubble floating all over the place. It’s complete and utter destruction. There’s an apartment that is gone,” René J. Roy, chief editor at Wreckhouse Press and a resident of the twon, said in a phone interview.

Roy estimated between eight to 12 houses and buildings had washed into the sea. “It’s quite terrifying,” he said.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the town of 4,000 people was in a state of emergency with multiple electrical fires and residential flooding.

As the extent of damage became clear, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau canceled his trip to Japan for the funeral for assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

“We are seeing devastating images coming out of Port aux Basques. PEI (Prince Edward Island) has experienced storm damage like they’ve never seen. Cape Breton is being hit hard, too,” Trudeau said.

“There are people who see their houses destroyed, people who are very worried — we will be there for you,” Trudeau added.

Mike Savage, mayor of Halifax, said the roof of an apartment building collapsed in Nova Scotia's biggest city and officials had moved 100 people to an evacuation center. He said no one was seriously hurt.

Provincial officials said other apartment buildings sustained significant damage.

More than 415,000 Nova Scotia Power customers — about 80% of the province of almost 1 million people — were affected by outages Saturday. Over 82,000 customers in the province of Prince Edward Island, about 95%, also lost power, while NB Power in New Brunswick reported 44,329 were without electricity.

Peter Gregg, president and CEO of Nova Scotia Power, said unprecedented peak winds inflicted severe damage and the bad weather kept repair crews from going out at first. He said about 380,000 customers remained without power Saturday afternoon as a weakening Fiona moved away over the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

The Canadian Hurricane Centre tweeted that Fiona had the lowest pressure ever recorded for a storm making landfall in Canada. Forecasters had warned it could be the one of the most powerful storms to hit the country.

“We’re getting more severe storms more frequently,” Trudeau said.

He said more resilient infrastructure is needed to withstand extreme weather events, saying that what was once a one-in-100 year storm might now arrive every few years because of climate change.

“Things are only getting worse,” Trudeau said.

A state of local emergency was declared in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.

“There are homes that have been significantly damaged due to downed trees, big old trees falling down and causing significant damage," Mayor Amanda McDougall told The Associated Press. "We’re also seeing houses that their roofs have completely torn off, windows breaking in. There is a huge amount of debris in the roadways.”

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said roads were washed out, including his own, and said an “incredible” amount of trees had been blown over.

“It is pretty devastating,” Houston said.

Prince Edward Island Premier Dennis King said few communities were spared damage, with the devastation looking to be beyond anything they had seen previously in the province.

Federal Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair said there was very extensive damage at the airport in Sydney, Nova Scotia. He said other airports also were hit, but that damage at the Halifax facility, Nova Scotia’s largest airport, was minor.

In Sydney, Nova Scotia, the largest city on Cape Breton, about 20 people took refuge at the Centre 200 sports and entertainment facility, said Christina Lamey, a spokeswoman for the region. Lamey said hundreds of people had been displaced in the province.

Arlene and Robert Grafilo fled to Centre 200 with their children, ages 3 and 10, after a big tree toppled on their duplex apartment.

“We were trapped and we couldn’t open the doors and the windows, so that’s when we decided to call 911,” Arlene Grafilo said. She said firefighters eventually rescued them.

Peter MacKay, a former foreign minister and defense minister who lives in Nova Scotia, said he had never seen anything to match Fiona even though he has “lived through some crazy weather.”

He said that he and his family had a long night and that the winds had raged into the afternoon.

“We had put everything we could out of harm’s way, but the house got hammered pretty hard. Lost lots of shingles, heavy water damage in ceilings, walls, our deck is destroyed. A garage that I was building blew away,” MacKay said in an email to AP.

WFTV9

by Lionfield Tue 27 Sep 2022, 7:32 am

09.27.2022

by **SniperGod** Tue 27 Sep 2022, 4:21 pm

09.27.2022

by Oliver Wed 28 Sep 2022, 6:40 am

As Canada's military responds to more disasters like Hurricane Fiona, recruitment struggles to keep up

'The Canadian Armed Forces' involvement in response to natural disasters has roughly doubled every five years since 2010,' the national defence committee heard

Ryan Tumilty
Publishing date: Sep 27, 2022

OTTAWA — With Hurricane Fiona forcing Canadian soldiers to put down their rifles and pick up chainsaws, senior military officers told MPs climate change has them responding to more disasters while they’re struggling to recruit more soldiers.

Nearly 500 military members have been deployed to clear debris and cut trees around fallen power lines in Atlantic Canada after last weekend’s devastation. Huge swaths of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland are without power, and it could be several more days before power is restored.

Maj-Gen. Paul Prévost, a senior officer who works on long-term plans, addressed the House of Commons committee on National Defence, which has been studying the increasing demands placed on the military to respond to natural disasters.

He told MPs on the committee Tuesday that the Canadian Forces has deployed to seven disasters in the last year, not including the pandemic or Hurricane Fiona.

The military was called in after flooding in Yukon, British Columbia and Newfoundland, the wildfires in British Columbia, Manitoba and northwestern Ontario and the tainted water emergency in Iqaluit.

Prévost said this is part of a trend that has been accelerating for more than a decade.

“The Canadian Armed Forces’ involvement in response to natural disasters has roughly doubled every five years since 2010,” he said.

He said local authorities handle 90 per cent of Canadian natural disasters, but there are some challenges, like Hurricane Fiona, where the military is needed.

“While the Armed Forces is always prepared to support civil authorities and partners, its capabilities and trained personnel are finite and should only be involved when no other organization has the capacity to respond,” he said. “It is best to think of the Canadian Armed Forces as a force of last resort.”

Prévost told MPs the Forces has 63,781 regular members, another 29,477 reservists and 5,241 Canadian Rangers, which is cumulatively about 10,000 members short of where they want to be.

The increased domestic deployments come at the same time as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is changing the international landscape. Canada has made major commitments to NATO missions in Latvia and training efforts for Ukrainian troops.

The committee has heard from some witnesses who suggest it is time Canada has a civilian emergency management response agency, something similar to the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the United States, which could respond to disasters instead of the Canadians Forces.

Prévost said the military has unique assets that make it well positioned to respond to disasters, noting it is self-sustaining, bringing its own food and fuel when soldiers deploy on missions.

He said it was not for him to decide on whether such an agency is the right choice, but any collaboration could be helpful.

“What I’ll say is I can only see advantages at this point. The more we can get to work together at all levels of government on those issues, the better we’ll be,” he said.

When the Forces were called up for the B.C. floods last year, Chief of Defence Staff Wayne Eyre said the disasters were putting a strain on the military.

“I will admit that the pandemic has been tough on the Canadian Armed Forces, the number of times we’ve been called out,” Eyre said. “We are under-strength, and our recruiting and training system has suffered accordingly because of the challenges we faced. So we do need to reconstitute.”

Defence Minister Anita Anand was asked about the increased challenges at a news conference on Monday, and she said it was something the Forces are working on.

“We need to continue to build resources, especially in the area of personnel so that in the long term, as we see these climate-related disasters hitting our country, the resources are there in the Canadian Armed Forces to continue to assist as we want to do,” she said.

She said working with other organizations is something they can do, but they also need to ensure the military is well supported and well funded.

“We will continue to partner with local organizations, with provincial governments, to ensure that the all-hands-on-deck effort that you’re witnessing now and that will continue regardless of the time and place that these disasters occur, will continue to be sustainable.”

Anand’s department is set to release a new defence strategy this fall, which will include information about the Force’s response to disasters.

• Email: rtumilty@postmedia.com | Twitter:

National Post

by RunningLight Wed 28 Sep 2022, 3:31 pm

Storm Fiona: About 600 Canadian Armed Forces members in Atlantic Canada with more expected

Sept 28. 2022

by **GeminiTeam** Tue 04 Oct 2022, 7:22 pm

Red Cross says Canada should rely less on military for disaster response

By Staff . The Canadian Press
Posted October 4, 2022

The head of the Canadian Red Cross says the country needs to better prepare for natural disasters and reduce its reliance on the Canadian Armed Forces.

Conrad Sauve says natural disasters are becoming more common and more severe placing incredible strain on governments and organizations such as the military.

He says it has highlighted a lack of proper planning and preparation for such emergencies.

Sauve believes Canada needs to rely less on the military and instead build a civilian force to respond as once-in-a-century storms and disasters become annual events.

Sauve was testifying at the House of Commons defence committee which is studying how often the military is being deployed within Canada following a major weather event.

But his comments also come as hundreds of Canadian soldiers and Red Cross volunteers are helping Atlantic Canadians pickup the pieces following Hurricane Fiona.

2022 The Canadian Press

by Firefox Fri 12 May 2023, 5:35 pm

300 troops being deployed to fight Alberta wildfires, more than $2M paid out to evacuees

Wallis Snowdon · CBC News · Posted: May 11, 2023

Canadian Armed Forces Domestic Support - Page 14 Alberta-wildfire

CBC News

by **Accer** Sun 11 Jun 2023, 1:48 pm

Cash-strapped Canadian Armed Forces 'tenuous,' veteran soldier says

'We could be projecting more power, more influence—for good—around the world and yet there doesn’t seem to be a coherent vision for that'

Donna Kennedy-Glans, Special to National Post

Published Jun 11, 2023

This is a new conversation series by Donna Kennedy-Glans, a writer and former Alberta cabinet minister, featuring newsmakers and intriguing personalities. This week: Army Reserve veteran Mike Vernon.

Fighting fires, shovelling heavy snowfall, delivering vaccines; it’s all become part of the mandate of the Canadian Armed Forces. But when does the combination of dwindling resources (both equipment and people), and a growing call on soldiers “as a force of last resort” to deal with extreme weather events, compromise the military’s preparedness as a combat-ready force?

To find out, I reach out to Mike Vernon. Not the hockey player, the “other” Mike Vernon — recently retired commander of the 41 Canadian Brigade Group, a 1,600-member army reserve formation with units in Alberta and the Northwest Territories. Unlike regulars in the CAF, reservists have civilian jobs and volunteer for deployments at home and abroad.

“For a number of reasons — cultural reasons, readiness reasons, equipment — it’s a weekly topic of conversation,” Mike reports. In his world, people are questioning if this is a credible force, and the war in Ukraine has made those questions all the more evident. His assessment? “It’s a tenuous system backstopped by a lot of committed people who will make it work.”

We agree to meet at Calgary’s Military Museums. Before Mike takes me behind the public-facing walls of the museum — to a nondescript meeting room buried in a warren of offices where he and other military archivists toil — he walks me to an enormous mural identifying by name the more than 500 Alberta reservists who volunteered to serve in Afghanistan. As a civilian journalist, Mike covered the war in Croatia and reported from Afghanistan for CBC. He’s produced two documentaries, one set in Kandahar and one profiling army reservists; both put a human face on war.

Mike’s volunteered as a reservist to assist civilian authorities respond to emergencies, including joining 900 other reservists from across western Canada to fight wildfires in B.C. for six weeks in 2003. What does he think of the recent calls on the CAF to show up to fight fires across Canada?

“We shouldn’t be the first organization that gets called to help, domestically,” Mike replies. Then he explains: “The provinces are responsible and should get help from the feds, then reach out to the military. That’s the way it should roll out. But increasingly … the military is getting called earlier and earlier. The senior leaders in the military, I know from the discussions, they find that a bit frustrating. Because the provinces have the equipment and the infrastructure and the experience and the budgets.”

“When the military does this,” Mike concludes, “it’s basically downing tools and everything else it is doing to switch gears and go to communities.”

It doesn’t have to be this way, Mike suggests; just across the border, the American model is different. There, the army has contracts with national guardsmen and commanders can activate regiments of reservists as needed. In Canada, Mike couldn’t compel volunteer reservists to show up. It was a mad scramble to “beat the bushes” and ask members whether they could leave their civilian job for two weeks or two months and go to Drayton Valley to fight fires.

Last June, this question of military preparedness was put squarely on the table by Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre, in a sweeping directive to “reconstitute” Canada’s military. Eyre calls for a serious rethink of how the military does its work including the possibility of transferring tasks and capabilities from CAF to Department of National Defence employees or contractors.

What does Mike make of Eyre’s stern warning that the military we have today is not the one we need for the future? Mike agrees but questions the political resolve to change.

‘When I first started my career,” Mike shares, “we had armoured vehicles in the reserves here in Calgary. Right now, when the Calgary Highlanders go on a training exercise to Wainwright or Suffield, it’s a mixture of civilian vehicles, military vehicles, pickup trucks, nothing lethal in that mix of vehicles. We just look like some kind of gypsy caravan going to the field.

“We could be projecting more power, more influence — or good — around the world and yet there doesn’t seem to be a coherent vision for that,” Mike suggests. Instead, we have two conflicting tracks of messaging out there; a strong sense of patriotic duty competing with the need to be seen as a woke nation. Having the prime minister privately say we have no intention of actually trying to hit our promised spending targets in NATO, is also demoralizing. “And it’s not just the military. I think about CBC and Radio Canada International in the old days; why isn’t the CBC like the BBC in terms of what it could be putting out to the world?”

Meantime, the CAF is short 10,000 people in the regular force. Calls to defund the police make recruiting more difficult for the RCMP, the police and the military, Mike observes. “All these paramilitary organizations seem to be struggling to connect with young Canadians and … with diverse communities.”

And ponderous medical and security screening procedures make the CAF recruiting process exasperating for those who want to join. Mike’s son, Liam, recently graduated from the University of Alberta. Following in the steps of his grandfather and father, he applied to join the infantry but after six months of no contact from the recruiters, he pulled his application. Instead, Liam chose a corporate finance position with a Calgary-based energy company. Mike doesn’t hide his frustration: “He would have gone straight in, he wasn’t looking for a free education at RMC.”

Tamping down hot spots and evacuating communities at risk in wildfire season is serious business. No doubt the federal government will continue to smash the “break in case of emergency glass” and when there’s a genuine need, regular soldiers and reservists will show up. Yet there’s a lot riding on a tenuous system. The fight in Ukraine remains a challenge, and Canada has a moral and strategic imperative to keep pushing back Russia, but there are scarier threats on the horizon.

Donna Kennedy-Glans is active in the energy business and a multi-generational family farm. Her latest book is Teaching the Dinosaur to Dance: Moving Beyond Business as Usual (2022).

National Post

by Covert Mon 17 Jul 2023, 7:14 am

Military begins B.C. wildfire deployment as
number of blazes continues to climb

Published July 16, 2023

CTV News Vancouver

by Arkangel Fri 04 Aug 2023, 4:33 pm

Owen Sound local supporting BC Wildfire Service as member of the Canadian Armed Forces

The Sun Times

Published Aug 04, 2023

Warrant Officer Reid Bellamy, a graduate of St. Mary’s High School in Owen Sound, is currently serving Canada and Canadians in Kamloops as part of Operation LENTUS in support of the BC Wildfire Service.

LENTUS is the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) response to natural disasters in Canada.

The objectives of operation LENTUS are to help provincial and territorial authorities respond quickly and effectively to the crisis and to stabilize the natural disaster situation.

Bellamy is currently deployed to Kamloops with the Air Task Force.

Provincial and territorial authorities are the first to respond when a major natural disaster occurs in Canada. If they become overwhelmed, they may ask the CAF for help.

Reid joined the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in 2008, after briefly working in the automotive industry. After completing Basic Military Qualification Training – more familiarly known as Boot Camp – at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in St. Jean, QC, then Private Bellamy was sent to Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Borden, for the ten-month Aviation Systems Technician course.

As an AVN Tech, Bellamy learned to handle, service, and maintain CAF aircraft, ground equipment, and associated support facilities.

Bellamy worked as an AVN Tech in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) for four years. During that time, he was posted to 431 Air Demonstration Squadron (generally referred to as the Snowbirds) in Moose Jaw where he earned his A-level release qualification, which is a Journeyman qualification for aircraft maintenance, and was advanced promoted to Corporal.

In 2012, Bellamy conducted an Occupational Transfer to become a Flight Engineer (Flt Engr), which required him to take the initial three-month training course at CFB Trenton, then a three-month maintenance course on the CH-147F Chinook in Delaware, followed by six months of flying to earn his wings.

He was the first Flt Engr in Canada to earn his wings on the Chinook. As a Flt Engr in 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron, flying on the CH-146 Griffon, now-Warrant Officer Bellamy “is responsible for ensuring the aircraft remains airworthy, through maintenance and release of the aircraft. Additionally, I am responsible for all cargo management in the aircraft cabin, troop transport, and weapon systems operation of the GAU 21 .50 Cal, Dillion 7.62mm, and C6 machine guns. And most importantly guiding and supporting the welfare of my team,” he said in a media release.

Bellamy’s favourite part of the job is the variety, he said.

“Some days I turn wrenches, the next I may be shooting a machine gun out of the aircraft at ground targets and the day after I could be doing a humanitarian resupply as part of domestic operations,” Bellamy said.

He has participated in a large number of domestic operations, including Operation LENTUS and Operation NANOOK, as well as transporting heads of state and providing security for the G7 summit in Charlevoix.

When asked what his most memorable experience has been, Bellamy said, “Honestly there have been a lot, but I’d have to say that being provided the opportunity to influence change at the national level by being tasked to re-design flight clothing for the RCAF is right up there (even if it does seem anticlimactic).”

“I am heavily motivated by supporting my teams. I spend much of my time working to correct systemic issues within the CAF to better support them. Right now, the RCAF is the most receptive I’ve ever seen to changing itself for the better, both operationally and from an employment context. It is leading the Canadian Armed Forces in its effectiveness. There has never been a better time to join the RCAF.”

Bellamy is posted to 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron in Edmonton where he lives with his wife Dominque and three-year-old son. They are expecting their second child in October.

The Sun Times

by Stanleyz Tue 08 Aug 2023, 11:25 am

Canadians reassured to see military helping during local emergencies, Blair says

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press
Published Tuesday, August 8, 2023

CP24 News

by Jackson Sun 13 Aug 2023, 4:46 pm

Canadian Armed Forces deployed to fight
wildfires in Alberta, Northwest Territories

Sissi De Flaviis
CTVNews.ca Writer

Published Aug. 13, 2023

CTV News

by **Luxray** Fri 18 Aug 2023, 4:42 pm

'No one will be left behind': N.W.T. fires reach critical point, more residents flown out

Michael Lee
CTVNews.ca Writer . Published Aug. 18, 2023

The Canadian military said it was working to get the remaining residents out of Yellowknife on Friday as a result of the ongoing wildfires in the Northwest Territories.

In a virtual update Friday afternoon, federal ministers said 79 long-term care residents were airlifted out of the territorial capital on a Hercules aircraft Thursday night and more flights were expected as evacuations continued throughout the day.

The capital city of Yellowknife, which has a population of about 22,000 people and makes up around 40 per cent of the territory's population, is under an evacuation order, along with several other communities. Residents were urged to leave as winds were expected to shift eastward and direct fires west of the city toward the capital.

Blair said half of the population of the Northwest Territories has now been displaced.

"Our top priority is to keep people safe and the federal government is here to support you," he said in reference to both the fires in the Northwest Territories, as well as those affecting Kelowna and West Kelowna, B.C.

"We will do whatever it takes to ensure that you can return to your communities and livelihoods as quickly as possible."

The territorial government declared a state of emergency on Tuesday and Canadian Armed Forces members are in the Northwest Territories helping with firefighting and evacuation efforts.

There were 236 active fires in the territory as of 11:45 a.m. MDT Friday, with flames about 16 kilometres away from Yellowknife.

Residents, meanwhile, have left for hotels and evacuation centres in Alberta, including Calgary and elsewhere in the province.

Blair said there are about 150 Canadian Armed Forces members, including 120 soldiers and 30 aviators, along with Hercules, Globemaster and Polaris aircraft, currently assisting with firefighting and evacuation efforts.

On Monday, a Royal Canadian Air Force Hercules aircraft flew 25 people from Hay River to Fort McMurry, while a second flew in another 75 people from Fort Smith.

During a press conference Thursday evening, Yellowknife officials said around 10 planes left carrying 1,500 people, with 22 planes scheduled to leave Friday carrying an estimated 1,800 people outside of the territory and additional flights arranged for Saturday if needed and weather permitting. The goal is to have around 5,000 people leave by air, while others are driving away from the threat of the fires.

Asked how many people have evacuated Yellowknife, Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan said he did not have the exact numbers yet given the situation is still "fluid."

But he added that the federal government is contracting additional aircraft to supplement what the military currently has on the ground.

"The stress of leaving your home, not knowing if it will be there when you return is reality now faced by thousands," he said. "It is during these dark times that we see our country come together."

MINISTERS SAY NO PRICE GOUGING DURING CRISIS

The ministers' update on the "unprecedented wildfires" emphasized that the conditions remain very difficult and there will be a long road ahead for evacuees.

The Public Health Agency of Canada is sending supplies from Canada's Emergency Strategic Stockpile and Service Canada has made preparations for an influx of Employment Insurance (EI) claims.

Citizens' Services Minister Terry Beech said Friday that if evacuees have lost their jobs as a result of the wildfires and need to apply for EI, their applications will be prioritized based on their postal codes. The minister advised impacted Canadians to ensure they have signed up for direct deposit to ensure they're able to receive the federal benefits they are eligible for in a timely manner.

When asked how the federal government is addressing commercial flight pricing concerns, Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez said he spoke with Air Canada and the airline agreed to open more flights and cap costs, noting it and other airlines acknowledged the federal government will have zero tolerance for price gouging amid the crisis.

However, the ministers stopped short of committing to reimburse people who have already left on commercial flights, some of which have been reported to cost a few thousand dollars.

Rodriguez said Transport Canada is allowing pilots to extend their flight times and is offering leniency around the ID required to board, as well as allowing passengers fleeing the fires to board planes with their pets.

"The priority for now definitely is people getting people out, by air, by road, and absolutely no one will be left behind," he added.

BLOCKING OF CANADIAN NEWS 'TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE': MINISTER

The inability of some Canadians to access news on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram during the crisis — the result of a decision by their parent company, Meta, in response to the federal government's Online News Act — is "totally unacceptable," Rodriguez said.

As the former heritage minister, Rodriguez oversaw the passage of the Online News Act, which would force companies such as Meta and Google to develop agreements to compensate news companies for sharing their content.

"And I warned them during conversations in the past of the risk of blocking news," Rodriguez said.

"We've seen what happened in Australia, I told them this could happen here. They said that it would be different and it's not different. So I'm asking them to go back on their decision and allow people to have access to news and information in Canada."

In 2021, Facebook temporarily blocked news on the platform in Australia over opposition to a similar piece of legislation in the country, which resulted in users also losing access to public health and emergency services.

CREWS WORK TO SUPRESS THE FIRES

The government of the Northwest Territories has called the evacuation flights a "last resort" for anyone who is unable to leave by road. The government has prioritized flights for those with mobility issues or health conditions that put them at greater risk of developing complications from the smoke.

"It is safe for residents who have a vehicle and are able to drive to evacuate by road," the territorial government said in an update Thursday.

"Carpooling is encouraged to reduce traffic and assist those who do not have access to a vehicle."

Crews are creating firebreaks, essentially clearing strips of land of trees and anything else that could fuel the fires.

Speaking to CTV's Your Morning on Friday, Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty said crews have cleared 150 hectares or 1.5 square kilometres so far.

"That's 150 hectares less of fuel and a really important firebreak," she said.

Sprinklers, used to help wet the ground and slow the potential spread of the fires, are also shooting 1,000 gallons a minute and will run 24 hours a day, Alty added.

"Although we didn't get the rain that we wanted yesterday, those sprinklers are soaking the west side of our community, and then the territorial government, of course, is working in the air," she said.

"Hopefully, they'll be able to get as many air tankers as possible up today and to get that fire retardant line. So, much work here. Just huge thanks to all the crews who are working hard to keep our community safe."

"I urge all residents under evacuation orders to please adhere to them as they are issued," Shane Thompson, N.W.T. environment and communities minister, told a news conference late Thursday.

"These orders are never issued lightly and always consider our collective health and safety. You could be jeopardizing your safety and that of others."

GOVERNMENTS WORKING TOGETHER IN WILDFIRE RESPONSE

On Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a meeting of the Incident Response Group, a high-level panel of cabinet ministers and senior officials, to discuss the wildfires.

Ministers were briefed on the latest developments, discussed ongoing safety issues and the actions needed to mitigate the impacts of the wildfires.

In a readout following the meeting, Trudeau and ministers stressed the importance of residents following evacuation orders and the advice of first responders on the ground. The prime minister also continued his outreach to local and territorial political leaders.

Following the meeting, Sajjan issued a statement seeking to reassure Canadians that "all orders of government are working together to deliver the required help."

Members of the Canadian Armed Forces are providing personnel and resources to assist and enable firefighting efforts, airlifting evacuees and essential equipment, and helping with evacuation and logistics across the West Coast.

So far, that has included reconnaissance near Fort Smith and Hay River, building firebreaks in and around Yellowknife and Dettah, and Canadian Rangers processing evacuees at the Yellowknife airport.

The Government Operations Centre is leading national efforts to co-ordinate federal resources from across departments, including Public Services and Procurement Canada, Indigenous Services Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard.

Trudeau's itinerary for Friday does not indicate any further meetings, though Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will visit an emergency response centre in Peace Country, Alta., to meet with volunteers and Northwest Territories wildfire evacuees.

With files from CTV National News Alberta Bureau Chief Bill Fortier, Senior Digital Parliamentary Reporter Rachel Aiello and The Canadian Press

CTV News

by Thunder Thu 31 Aug 2023, 11:23 am

CAF efforts in N.W.T. extended to Sept. 5 'pending further re-assessment'

Natasha O'Neill . Published Aug. 31, 2023

CTV News

by **OutlawSoldier** Sat 16 Dec 2023, 6:00 am

Military is being called on too often to deal with
domestic emergencies, commander warns

Military spent a record-setting 141 days on domestic operations this year

Murray Brewster · CBC News · Posted: Dec 15, 2023

Canadian Armed Forces Domestic Support - Page 14 Kelowna-wildfires

CBC News

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