Local Canadian Army Reserve soldiers will be conducting training in Kingston on Sunday morning.
The main activities are taking place out of the Kingston Armoury, and reservist soldiers may be seen in the Montreal Street and waterfront areas.
A release from the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) says all measures are being taken to minimize inconvenience, but the public is asked to take extra caution if encountering military vehicles and personnel.
Soldiers are participating in a ruck march, loading up their equipment including personal, unloaded weapons and marching along the roadside as much as 13 kilometres.
The training tests soldiers on fitness and stamina as well as their cohesion in a group setting.
With cold temperatures and high winds expected, Public Affairs Officer Lieutenant Andrew McLaughlin says dealing with the conditions lends to the training.
“That’s part of the training, that’s why these Canadians are doing what they’re doing, they’re serving Canada,” McLaughlin said.
“They they understand the hardships that go along with that, and what we want them to get out of these types of training scenarios is not just a real good workout… but they also get that team teamwork and cohesion. Moving in a large group of 50 soldiers may sound pretty simple and straightforward, but it’s actually quite a dynamic process.”
Members of the public may see upwards of 30 soldiers at a time, with close to 55 reservists participating in the training exercise as well as various staff with the group.
McLaughlin says it’s not a huge number of participants but the amount is growing since the pandemic slowed recruitment, and added that Canadian Army Reserves in many locations including Kingston are actively hiring for part time positions as they look to further rally from COVID.
The CAF’s release says exercises like this one help soldiers remain ready to respond to incidents in Canada like floods and wildfires and support international stability operations.
Activities are expected to kick off around 5:00 AM tomorrow morning, and McLaughlin says the soldiers may be out for anywhere from two to four hours.
