Northumberland OPP Const. James Clarke catches up with Oldies 100.9 to delve into an upcoming ‘large-scale’ military exercise, bringing some 800 soldiers to Northumberland on April 26 to 27, 2025. Clarke is seen here with an OPP cadet. /Sarah Hyatt/MBC
With more than 800 soldiers, convoys of military vehicles and support staff gearing up to make their way to Northumberland for an exercise, local police are looking to assure residents that work continues with the CAF to ensure the exercise is carried out safely and with minimal disruption to communities.
As previously reported and announced by Northumberland County, the “domestic training exercise” has been in the works since last spring.
Residents can expect troop movement in the community around mid-April, just ahead of the exercise, and afterwards for clean-up operations. The exercise will stretch into several area communities (and possibly beyond) as the 31st Canadian Brigade Group of the Canadian Army Reserve from London, Ont., makes its way to Northumberland.
“This exercise is part of regular training to ensure the readiness of our military personnel,” explained Northumberland OPP Const. James Clarke.
The exercise, with its description of 800-plus soldiers, convoys, and the like, could be seen as immense and isn’t common in this area at this scale.
With this in mind, Clarke has a key message for residents.
As previously reported, county officials have also noted that soldiers won’t be armed for this “large-scale exercise.”
What’s more, communications with first-responders, agencies, municipalities and the like are ongoing. In the words of the county, planning efforts have included close work with area municipalities to determine the best approaches to activities, et cetera.
Clarke tells us what that means from the OPP standpoint.
Northumberland County’s Colleen McCabe, who serves as the county’s health, safety and emergency risk manager, in the lead up to this exercise has been echoing similar sentiments.
“We want to reassure our residents that this is strictly a training event – not a real emergency,” said McCabe. “While you may see increased military activity across the county, there is no cause for concern.”
McCabe also called the training exercise an excellent opportunity for the county and municipalities to collaborate with the CAF, saying this will reinforce collective preparedness for emergency situations.
Military activities are set to stretch into the townships of Hamilton and Cramahe, Cobourg, and Alderville First Nation. Although, the county has noted that some activities, such as driver personnel training, may extend beyond these areas.
Clarke tells us a little more about the timeline.
Clarke tells us that people travelling around the area and/or to-and-from the area should also take note.
With the armed forces increasingly being called on to help with domestic disaster response, they’re expanding training efforts to ensure operational readiness, reads a recent county release. This exercise is supposed to provide vital hands-on experience, while fostering collaboration with municipal and emergency management partners.
Officials have noted that the exercise is also designed to have minimal impact on the environment.
For safety reasons, the county confirmed earlier that public observation of training won’t be permitted.
Training details are also accessible via the Northumberland County website.
(Written by: Sarah Hyatt)
