Approximately 800 members of the Canadian Armed Forces will flood Northumberland County this weekend for a training exercise.
Troops from across the province are expected to begin arriving in the area today for Exercise TRILLIUM VENTURE.
Military convoys will be visible along Highway 401 during this period, with vehicle movements travelling through neighbouring regions including Durham, Hastings, and Prince Edward counties.
The large-scale annual training exercise taking place on April 26 and 27 is designed to build hands-on experience in disaster response and strengthen coordination between the military, municipalities and emergency services.
Residents can expect to see uniformed military personnel, vehicles, and aircraft in areas across the county.
Soldiers will not be armed.
Increased activity will be most visible in areas such as Hastings, Roseneath, Alderville First Nation, Bewdley, Percy Boom, Plainville, and Burnley.
Military training will also include portions of the West Ganaraska Forest, which will be indicated on the Ganaraska Forest Trails Map.
Visitors will be asked to avoid these indicated areas throughout the training exercise.
“This is a valuable opportunity to strengthen our collective readiness for emergency situations,” says Colleen McCabe, Northumberland County’s Health, Safety, and Emergency Risk Manager. “We want to reassure residents that this is a planned training exercise — not a real emergency. We thank everyone in advance for their patience and encourage you to offer a warm welcome to visiting troops in the community.”
Northumberland County has been working closely with military planners and local municipalities for nearly a year to ensure the exercise is carried out safely and with minimal disruption to residents.
Areas around training locations will remain accessible, however, residents are asked to use extra caution near military vehicles and personnel.
