Northumberland County will host more than 800 Canadian Armed Forces personnel for a major emergency training exercise from April 26 to 27.
Exercise Trillium Venture is part of an annual province-wide effort to improve disaster response skills and coordination between military units, local governments and emergency services. Troops will begin arriving as early as April 22, with convoys travelling along Highway 401 and through neighbouring counties such as Durham and Hastings.
“This is a valuable opportunity to strengthen our collective readiness for emergency situations,” said Colleen McCabe, the county’s Health, Safety and Emergency Risk Manager. “We want to reassure residents that this is a planned training exercise – not a real emergency.”
Troops will operate in locations across the county, including Hastings, Alderville First Nation, Bewdley, Percy Boom, Roseneath, and Burnley. Some military activity will also take place in sections of the West Ganaraska Forest, with trail closures marked on the official map.
The County has worked closely with local municipalities and the Canadian Armed Forces for nearly a year to ensure the operation runs smoothly and with minimal impact on residents. Areas around training sites will remain open, but the public is advised to be cautious and avoid observing exercises.
The military will not be using any weapons or ammunition during the drills, and soldiers will manage their own security and medical care. All personnel are expected to leave by April 30 following site cleanup.
For updates and maps of restricted areas, visit northumberland.ca/emergencytraining.
(Written by: Joseph Goden)
