Canadian Forces Base Trenton is the Quinte region’s largest employer. It provides the largest economic footprint, and is the nation’s military and governmental transportation hub.
We cannot look back at the year that was without discussing 8 Wing.
Quinte News spoke to Commander Colonel Lief Dahl.
He says the masking mandates and other pandemic-related issues made operations more difficult.
“Folks had to wear masks, we had to comply with all federal government mandated testing and pre-testing, and isolation policies. Obviously that put a bit of slowdown on what we do here at 8 Wing.”
Dahl took over for Colonel Deming during the summer and he says once the mandates were lifted, it allowed 8 Wing to be more efficient.
He says that Canada’s response to the war in Ukraine has been out of England, with 8 Wing at the centre of it.
“The 1st Canadian Air Division stationed in Winnipeg started to operate an Air Task Force in Northern UK and 8 Wing has been the main contributor to that detachment, providing it with people. See when an aircraft now will depart Canada, sometimes pick up some some stuff to another military base, fly directly to Prestwick, where there’s 8 Wing crews that can just take the airplane right away, bit of like a UPS so to speak.”
He says from England, people or cargo can be flown into theatres in a number of locations, including Ukraine, Africa, and the Middle East.
