Roll Up of CAF/Veteran/Invictus News - 24 Oct 2024
CAF | DND
National security cited as B.C. drone engineer's devices seized | CBC News
A B.C. Supreme Court judge has granted an extraordinary order to seize electronic devices from a former employee of a Lower Mainland company specializing in anti-drone technology — citing fears China or Russia might be trying to access military secrets. … Skycope got the order against its former employee — known as XL — in a closed-door hearing where the company alleged the electrical engineer had handed a foreign competitor confidential information sought by unfriendly state actors. … XL was accused of sharing details during a job interview… identifying information that included "one particular drone protocol which Skycope received in confidence from the Department of National Defence."
The Department of National Defence confirms unexploded bombs from the Second World War lie buried inside the Mer Bleue Bog, a popular hiking and skiing area in Ottawa’s east end. The existence of the bombs was unveiled this week through documents obtained by the Ottawa Citizen.
Defence minister announces nearly $65 million in aid for Ukraine | CBC News
Canada announced the details of a $64.8 million military aid package to Ukraine Friday as National Defence Minister Bill Blair attended a NATO defence ministers meeting in Brussels. … Canada has committed more than $19.5 billion in support to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. That includes the $500 million promised by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the NATO summit in July.
Canadian Armed Forces host exercises in N.B. (ctvnews.ca)
VIDEO: Canadian soldiers and their allies are training and competing in explosive handling exercises at CFB Gagetown in Gagetown, N.B.
N.B. military base hosts Exercise 'Ardent Defender' | CTV News
The 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown(opens in a new tab) is the second largest military base in Canada, making it the perfect host site for a training exercise featuring 400 troops. Military personal [sic] from Canada, Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States have stationed at the Oromocto, N.B., base for Exercise ARDENT DEFENDER.
Are you a CAF member? Do you love sports? Are you an athlete, coach or official? Do you want to participate in sports in your community while being supported by the CAF? Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS) is launching a pilot grant program for participation in sports outside the CAF, aimed at Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members. As part of our financial reprioritization efforts, the program’s official launch was postponed, and both the format and financial framework have been adjusted.
DND didn't apologize to sexually assaulted worker for fear of media | Ottawa Citizen
Management of the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services declined to apologize to an employee who was sexually assaulted in Latvia because they didn’t want the mea culpa reported on by the Ottawa Citizen, newly released documents reveal.
Kristen Adams, a civilian who worked for the welfare services group, was sexually assaulted by a NATO soldier during her shift at the canteen operated by Canada for troops in Latvia, according to military police records.
Canada’s military decided not to apologize to an employee after she was sexually assaulted while working with Nato allies, over fears that any apology would be reported by an Ottawa newspaper.
Civilian trial begins for Canadian Forces soldier charged with sexual assault (msn.com)
The civilian sexual assault trial of a Canadian Forces soldier began Monday in a Barrie, Ont., courtroom, with the accuser taking the witness stand to describe an attack inside a broom closet on a military base. … [Alleged victim] Jaszberenyi, who was a soldier at the time of the alleged incident, made the rare move after the military refused to prosecute her sexual assault allegation following a 2018 investigation. Her attempts to reopen the case through the Military Police Complaints Commission, a quasi-judicial civilian oversight body, and the Federal Court also failed.
RCN
Navy warship named after Regina, Saskatchewan celebrates 30 years at sea | CTV News
The HMCS Regina is celebrating 30 years of service in the Royal Canadian Navy. “The Canadian Navy naming tradition is based on geography,” said Executive Officer Lt.-Cmdr. Scott Dyson. “By choosing city names for the patrol frigates it allows us to create connections with the larger cities in all of our provinces.”
Royal Canadian Navy aims to attract new recruits with adventure | National Post
A Royal Canadian Navy program aimed at giving potential sailors a year to test their sea legs is attempting to shore up the force’s flagging numbers, and attracting attention south of the border. Canada is looking for sailors to fill a combined total of 3,220 vacant regular force and reserve positions across the country. This past June, Canada’s navy announced that nearly three quarters of the sailors who signed up for the inaugural one-year Naval Experience Program had opted to stay in the military.
RCAF
Snowbirds’ home closer event draws hundreds of excited fans - SaskToday.ca
MOOSE JAW — Attending the Snowbirds’ season-ending home show was a treat for Harry Chapin, who flew with the aerobatic team 50 years ago and was seeing them perform for the first time in years. Chapin was one of hundreds of people who attended 431 Air Demonstration Squadron’s home closer show on Oct. 18 at 15 Wing Air Base. The event is traditionally held to thank families and friends of deployed squadron members and Snowbird alumni for their support.
Ultimate honour: Civilian issued RCAF wings for preservation of downed plane (cheknews.ca)
At Maritime Helicopter Squadron 443 in North Saanich, wings aren’t issued, but earned. “By definition military wings aren’t supposed to be easy to get,” says Lieutenant Colonel Matt Dukowski. For a civilian they’re almost impossible to earn, but Jay Hammond’s war effort, though almost 50 years after the final shell of the Second World War was fired, is worthy of distinction.
CIMVHR FORUM
Quicker supports for military veterans needed: experts (citynews.ca)
“War is ugly. So the baggage that comes with it is terrible,” said veteran Paul Hook. Hook served in Afghanistan in 2005, becoming the fourth generation in his family to have served and retired from service. “My great-grandfather served in World War I, injured at Vimy Ridge,” he said. “My grandfather served as a fighter pilot. My dad and my mom both served in the military.” Hook, who for the last 14 months of being a civilian is serving as the managing director for Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research, knows better than anyone how much support veterans need after they transition out of service.
VETERANS
VIDEO: The Concussion Legacy Foundation Canada (CLFC) hosts a news conference in Ottawa with Shane Nedohin, a retired Canadian Forces officer living with traumatic brain injuries whose claim for medical support was denied by Veterans Affairs Canada. The CLFC is calling for a reassessment of federal policy regarding blast-induced brain injuries.
CIRA and Commissionaires recently announced a new training partnership, making cybersecurity services available to small businesses. … “It felt like a really good fit. We’re non-profit. We’re all about supporting Canadians and Canadian veterans, and it made a lot of sense for us to work with a company that had shared values,” said Rolland Winters, director of cybersecurity at Commissionaires, in a statement.
Former Estevan resident brings WWII Jeep to showcase history - SaskToday.ca
… Former Estevan resident Ted Beck, a military veteran, purchased an 83-year-old Jeep, originally designed for combat, back in February. Known for its simple, rugged design, the vehicle has been a conversation starter and a nostalgic sight at gatherings across the region since then. … While Beck is passionate about this piece of history, he also currently has another important mission. He was in Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadian) armoured regiment, and now his daughter Kiersten Beck is a crew commander in the tank and will soon be deployed to Latvia. In the name of his daughter, he is raising funds for the Homes for Heroes Foundation, an organization dedicated to providing housing for veterans.
'I feel like I'm 66': Veteran celebrates 100th birthday - Village Report
It was the party of the century as a roaring crowd gathered in Newmarket to celebrate Second World War veteran Jim Parks’ 100th birthday. More than 150 people attended Parks’ centennial birthday party at the Newmarket Royal Canadian Legion Oct. 16, as celebrations continue since his Sept. 22 birthday.
Canada’s vets pick new fight with feds, push for equal compensation (yahoo.com)
VIDEO: More than three decades after risking their lives on the battlefield, veterans who served for Canada in the first Persian Gulf War are taking up a new fight – this time with Ottawa. They're pushing for equal injury benefits, and recognition, as soldiers who fought earlier wars. Heidi Petracek has the details.
INVICTUS GAMES
Scott Moore steers Invictus Games to Vancouver, Whistler - Business in Vancouver (biv.com)
It was at a party for a friend in London last year that someone mentioned to semi-retired sports media executive Scott Moore that he ought to throw his hat in the ring for the suddenly open role of CEO of the Invictus Games coming this February to Vancouver and Whistler. … There is substantial institutional buy-in: Atco and Boeing are presenting partners, Teck and Fisher House are premier partners. The federal and provincial governments and the charitable True Patriot Love are founding partners. … Moore believes there are two principal objectives for these Games: “One, I hope it changes and improves Canadians’ relationship to the military, to one of stronger gratefulness.” … “Two: I hope it gives us a greater appreciation of adaptive sport and varying levels of ability and a real change in people’s attitudes. … I think it can deliver us greater respect of the power of sport in our lives.”
New Invictus Games signage headed to Whistler - Pique Newsmagazine
With 109 days to go until the Invictus Games begin, event organizers are erecting two new "I AM" signs in Whistler. The first of these signs will be installed tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Olympic Mid-Station, above the snow line at 1,300 metres of elevation. Another is slated to go up at Village Gate Boulevard. "I AM," the motto of the Invictus Games, is drawn from the poem Invictus by English poet William Ernest Henley that reads: "I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul." Each sign features a QR code plaque, which links to the I AM campaign page featuring various testimonies of resilience and recovery.
Whistler Sliding Centre rolls into 2024-25 season - Pique Newsmagazine
As temperatures continue to drop, the Whistler Sliding Centre (WSC) is ready to welcome its imminent 2024/25 campaign. The two biggest items on the schedule are the FIL Luge World Championships and the Invictus Games. Expect elite talent from around the globe to challenge locals such as Embyr-Lee Susko and Trinity Ellis between Feb. 6 to 8 at Worlds, shortly before Invictus brings a host of adaptive athletes to Earth's fastest ice from Feb. 10 to 11. (The full Invictus Games run from Feb. 8 to 16 across Vancouver and Whistler).
ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION
Legion to kick off annual Poppy Campaign on Friday at 11 a.m. - SaskToday.ca
Red poppies of remembrance will soon adorn many collars and lapels as Moose Jaw’s Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 59 kicks off its annual poppy campaign this weekend.
2024 Royal Canadian Legion’s Poppy Campaign to begin Oct. 25 - NNSL Media
The annual Poppy Campaign is back. The Royal Canadian Legion’s National Poppy Campaign returns Oct. 25. This year the Legion will have a some new features during the campaign—along with its iconic poppies being offered by poppy taggers across the country.
… This year, the B.C.’s annual poppy campaign was launched at Victoria’s Government House as Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin was presented with the first poppy handed out by the Royal Canadian Legion BC/Yukon Commands, on Oct. 22.
Town agrees to sign cenotaph maintenance agreement with local legion | Sault Star
Town council has approved a staff recommendation, that once a bylaw has been passed, will see a maintenance and liability agreement be implemented between the municipality and Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 87.
It is a Barrhead tradition. Every year for the last 35 years, in early October, a small group of volunteers from the Barrhead Royal Canadian Legion place Canadian flags on the graves of local veterans who served with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), the Army, the Royal Canadian Air Force, the merchant navy and the RCMP.
COMMEMORATION, REMEMBRANCE & HISTORY
Veteran's unmarked grave at Barrie cemetery receives military marker - Barrie News (barrietoday.com)
Warrant Officer Glenn Miller (ret.), president of the Alberta and Northwest Territories Branch of the Last Post Fund (LPF), will hold a short dedication ceremony for the installation of a military marker for Gunner Charles Dibley and his wife, Joann, on Oct. 19 at 4 p.m. at Barrie Union Cemetery, located at 338 Sunnidale Rd.
First World War Veteran Ralph Hodgson Inspired a Generation of War Amputees
Ralph Hodgson (1895-1948) lived by the motto inscribed on his tombstone: “It’s not what you have lost that counts but what you have.” These words defined his life’s work, as he dedicated himself to ensuring that his fellow war amputee veterans could thrive despite their injuries. Hodgson, a law student when the First World War began, quickly enlisted with Toronto’s 24th Battalion. In April 1917, he was wounded during the Battle of Vimy Ridge, resulting in the amputation of his right leg below the knee. Hodgson became a founding member of The War Amps, an organization established over a century ago by amputee veterans of the First World War. … Today, Ralph Hodgson Memorial Park in Port Hope, Ontario, stands as a lasting tribute to his extraordinary commitment to Canada’s war amputee veterans.
Field of Crosses set to return to City Park in early November (kelownanow.com)
Hundreds of white crosses will soon blanket an area of City Park as part of the Field of Crosses annual display. More than 240 crosses will be installed near the Kelowna Cenotaph “to commemorate the lives of the Canadian Armed Forces personnel who lost their lives in the service of their country.”
Eight new banners have been inducted into the Swift Current Museum Veteran Banners Program. Unveiled today at the Swift Current Museum in a ceremony for the families, these banners will honour the legacy and service of Donald André Lasanté, Douglas Campbell, Douglas Reid Campbell, Clarence A. Mack, Elizabeth M. Mack, Frank Penner, Maxwell Capel, and Ralph Davies.
Defence and security services sections holds a special place at Beechwood Cemetery (citynews.ca)
… “We recently had almost 200 people sign up to help us clean military headstones in the Defence and Security Services section,” said Nick McCarthy, Director of Marketing, Communications and Community Outreach with the Beechwood Cemetery Foundation. “During our National Day of Tribute, landscaping companies from around the region descend on Beechwood to conduct a final deep clean prior to Remembrance Day. It is truly remarkable how the community comes together to help maintain Beechwood Cemetery.”
Algonquin College student soars to new heights | AC Blog
A normal day of learning for 21-year-old aircraft maintenance technician student Brayden Krahn includes hands-on labs at the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum. Experiential learning includes overhauling engines, airframe systems, learning about pressurization, radar and installing equipment and parts. On Sept. 12, Krahn had finished class and was enjoying the perk of being able to walk around and visit the exhibits at the museum. He overheard two volunteer guides talking about one of the planes, so he edged closer and started talking to them. … “Then, they told me that the rudder pedals were broken.” Krahn explained he was a student and he offered to look at the broken pedals. … He described the process as “really fun” and “a good feeling when you fix something and then it works and stays working.”
Alberta sculptor receives Alberta Order of Excellence - St. Albert News (stalbertgazette.com)
Cochrane’s most famous sculptor has been awarded province’s highest honour - The Alberta Order of Excellence. Don Begg of Studio West received the award on Oct.17. … He was honoured this year to have been commissioned by the Royal Regina Rifles (one of the first Canadian regiments to make landfall on Juno Beach on D-Day) to do an eight-foot tall bronze sculpting of a WWII rifleman in combat. The unveiling of Begg’s eight-foot tall sculpture was part of the official ceremony in France on the 80th anniversary of D-Day, June 6.
… With Remembrance Day approaching and with 2024 being the 110th anniversary of the First World War erupting in Europe, it’s a good time to look back on the establishment of Camp Borden. … Over the course of the First World War an incredible 619,636 men — representing nearly one tenth of the entire population of Canada — had served in the force, most of them trained at Camp Borden.
Moncton students place flags next veterans' graves | CTV News
A new tradition that honours veterans and educates young students continued at a Moncton cemetery Friday. For the second straight year, dozens of Sunny Brae students marched from their school to the Elmwwod Cemetery to pay their respects. Each child given a handful of Canadian flags to place next to the headstone of a veteran buried there. Cemetery president Jim Rogers said groups of children would partner with a veterann and using a map they find the graves of those who served.
Feds won't commit to cutting names from Victims of Communism memorial | Ottawa Citizen
The Liberal government won’t make a firm commitment to keep the names of alleged Nazi collaborators and fascists off the Victims of Communism memorial to be unveiled in downtown Ottawa. But Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge’s office told the Ottawa Citizen that it will make sure the memorial’s commemorative elements will remain compatible with Canadian values.