With just 10 days to go, Northumberland County is preparing to welcome approximately 800 members of the Canadian Armed Forces for a planned emergency training exercise taking place April 26–27.
Troops from across the province – including personnel from the 31 Canadian Brigade Group based in London, Ontario – will begin arriving in our community as early as April 22. Military convoys will be visible along Highway 401 during this period, with vehicle movements travelling through neighbouring regions including Durham, Hastings, and Prince Edward counties.
This large-scale training exercise, part of annual provincial training, is designed to build hands-on experience in disaster response and strengthen coordination between the military, municipalities and emergency services. Units deploying on Exercise TRILLIUM VENTURE will not be issued any weapons or ammunition.
Residents can expect to see uniformed military personnel, vehicles, and aircraft in areas across the county. Increased activity will be most visible in areas such as Hastings, Roseneath, Alderville First Nation, Bewdley, Percy Boom, Plainville, and Burnley. Military training will also include portions of the West Ganaraska Forest, which will be indicated on the Ganaraska Forest Trails Map closer to the event.
Visitors will be asked to avoid these indicated areas throughout the training exercise, from April 25th–27th, 2025.
“This is a valuable opportunity to strengthen our collective readiness for emergency situations,” says Colleen McCabe, Northumberland County’s Health, Safety, and Emergency Risk Manager. “We want to reassure residents that this is a planned training exercise — not a real emergency. We thank everyone in advance for their patience and encourage you to offer a warm welcome to visiting troops in the community.”
Key details:
· Exercise activity will ramp up as early as April 22 with advance team arrivals.
· All personnel will depart by April 30 following cleanup and demobilization.
· Soldiers will not be armed and will manage their own security and first aid.
· For safety, public observation of the training is not permitted.
Northumberland County has been working closely with military planners and local municipalities for nearly a year to ensure the exercise is carried out safely and with minimal disruption to residents. Areas around training locations will remain accessible. Residents are asked to use extra caution near military vehicles and personnel and are thanked in advance for their understanding and cooperation.
Northumberland County appreciates the community’s support in hosting this important training event. For more information, visit northumberland.ca/emergencytraining or contact emergencymanagement@northumberland.ca.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
