11 P.E.I. soldiers head to Latvia to support NATO allies fighting Russia's invasion of Ukraine
CBC
Eleven soldiers from P.E.I. are headed to Latvia to take part in a Canadian-led mission to support NATO allies working to deter Russian aggression in eastern Europe.
The platoon headed to Riga consists of 38 Maritime soldiers from the 36 Canadian Brigade Group. A total of about 1,650 Canadian Armed Forces members have been deployed as part of Operation Reassurance.
"The task is kind of in the name," said Capt. Cole MacEachern, the force protection platoon commander.
"We're there to reassure NATO allies, and for them to be comforted, to know that we have their back if anything were to happen, and to act as a force to supplement any sort of conflict that may arise in the region."
The regiment says this is the largest P.E.I. deployment since military members were deployed to Afghanistan.
"It is a fairly unique opportunity that hasn't happened in the last decade," said MacEachern. "We're fully committed to embracing that and bringing it back."
The platoon consists of combat armed soldiers, including three senior non-commissioned officers from the infantry sector, as well as combat engineers and infantry.
MacEachern said work on the mission started in February with medical screenings and paperwork, then moved to training in things like basic soldier skills, first aid and vehicle use.
MacEachern said everyone in his platoon has at least a few years' experience, but some, like the infantry and combat engineers, were new to this specific area.
"They bring a wealth of experience and knowledge in their specific trade areas," he said. "But when it comes to operating in vehicle contact, we had to get them trained on the vehicle platforms and then gradually over the last few months, get them that experience where they know and are comfortable using the vehicles."
This is MacEachern's first overseas deployment. He said he is excited to take part in the operation and gain as much experience as possible.
"With the number of nations and resources that are in Latvia right now, there's the possibility for some fairly unique training opportunities that we typically wouldn't get just in your normal run-of-the mill training here," he said.
"So we're really just looking to hop on any tasks or training that is available because we don't normally get that level of experience, or [get] exposed to, the different assets that are in Latvia."
MacEachern said he and the platoon are looking forward to bringing home the experiences they have in Latvia and passing that knowledge along to the local reserve units and peers.
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running Game
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing Game
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic Game
A suspended Moncton structural engineer faces more lawsuits alleging design flaws in buildings that require repair.
Sajjade Tugano has come a long way since he first set foot in Chibougamau, six hours north of Quebec City, in the depths of winter in November 2021.
A national mentor-based hockey organization that helps marginalized youth through the sport is paying tribute to one of its members and youngest coaches.
After months of asking the City of Saskatoon to do more to solve its homelessness crisis, advocate David Fineday took to the stand at city council Tuesday.
A community organization wants to breathe new life into a historic building in Regina.
Some Prince County residents are walking away with more answers after attending Tuesday night's public information session in Albany, P.E.I., on the Wejipek Wind Project.
After just a few months of using vape detectors in a couple of bathrooms, a B.C. high school principal says it's reduced vape use in those areas to basically zero.
Burlington MP Karina Gould gets boost from local young people after entering Liberal leadership race
A day after entering the Liberal leadership race, Burlington, Ont., MP and government House leader Karina Gould was cheered at a campaign launch party by local residents — including young people expressing hope the 37-year-old politician will represent their voices.
Anold Mulaisho was born intersex and wonders where they fit in, in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order for the United States to recognize only two sexes, male and female.
WARNING: This story contains references to suicide.
Subway service is down on Line 1 between Sheppard West and Lawrence West due to a broken power rail, the TTC said Wednesday morning.
A long-term care home in Toronto's Yorkville neighbourhood has cleared one more hurdle to add desperately needed beds to its property, a move that's been praised by housing advocates but opposed by locals concerned about the impact on the neighbourhood.
A Charlottetown resident is calling on the P.E.I. government to do more to protect homeowners after reading about a recent oil spill very similar to one on his Montague property 20 years ago, which he says ruined him financially.
WARNING: This story includes details of abuse.
Two years after Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly declared she was taking the unprecedented step of moving to confiscate millions of dollars from a sanctioned Russian oligarch with assets in Canada, the government has not actually begun the court process to forfeit the money, let alone to hand it over to Ukrainian reconstruction — and it may never happen.
Alberta business and oilpatch leaders are returning home from Washington this week after the U.S. presidential inauguration festivities — and gritting their teeth after a roller-coaster of emotions.
Youth workers in Toronto's Jane and Finch area are flipping the script on negative stereotypes about their communities with a new fundraising campaign that offers anti-bias training in exchange for donations to bolster their programming.
In a sudden move that came late Tuesday evening, city officials rolled out cots and temporarily opened a warm building in east London as frigid temperatures continued.