The entrance sign to CFB Suffield, Alta., Tuesday, July 26, 2016. The base is preparing to house up to 200 forces personnel and non-essential public servants from the Northwest Territories. - CP FILE
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
CFB Suffield is preparing to house up to 200 forces personnel and non-essential public servants evacuated from Northwest Territories due to wildfires, the News has learned.
Federal, provincial and municipal governments in Alberta were enacting emergency response plans Friday to manage up to 15,000 territorial residents ordered to flee Yellowknife this week as wildfires approached population centres.
Those driving are directed to northern Alberta towns, but those flying on a host of military and commercial aircraft landing in Calgary are being dealt with there.
CFB Suffield will be the dedicated reception centre for non-essential Canadian Armed Forces, Department of Defence employees and any other public servants who arrive in Calgary.
They began arriving at Calgary International Airport on Thursday, and could be bused the military base, located 40 kilometres west of Medicine Hat.
Major Talon Desjardins, chief of staff at CFB Suffield and acting base commander, said no one was diverted on Friday, but the base is preparing.
“The Calgary emergency management agency is dealing with the bulk of it,” said Desjardins. “We fit in that we’re positioning ourselves to house any CAF or DND personnel and their families that are being evacuated.
“We’re poised ourselves to support anyone that comes our way.”
Desjardins said the initial estimates are the base could host 30 to 40 families of four persons, if needed, but none had reported by Friday afternoon.
They would be housed in vacant housing in Ralston, military living in quarters, or if needed, a gymnasium could be converted to a dormitory, depending on circumstances.
Quarters are only reserved for evacuated military and DND personnel, along with their family members, which should contact the base reception at 403-544-5570 if they arrive in the region. All other evacuees should find their nearest reception centre on the Government of Alberta website (alberta.ca).
CFB Suffield, which has not seen large-scale British training exercises since 2019, has in the past hosted 5,000 or more visiting troops in field tents.
Permanent facilities have much less capacity, said Desjardins, and supply requirements for a such a large influx are typically months in the planning.
“In the short term, (housing that many evacuees) would be hard to accomplish,” he said.
The territorial government ordered the evacuation earlier this week as fire approach the major city of Yellowknife, which has a population of 15,000, and other centres by a deadline of noon on Friday.
Thousands more could arrive in Alberta from the Okanagan, where forest fires are approaching Kelowna, with a population of 150,000.
The city of Calgary reported that it expected more than 3,600 people to arrive on 40 flights by Friday night. Dozens of additional flights, including those by CF Hercules cargo planes, were added during the day.
In Edmonton, the downtown EXPO convention centre was converted to offer food, clothing, temporary shelter and other supports.
Small and mid-sized centres in northern Alberta along with Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary, opened reception centres on Thursday.
On Friday, Leduc, Fort McMurray, St. Albert and Grande Prairie were listed at full capacity on a list of reception centres.
The Canadian Red Cross and United Way of the Northwest Territories are accepting monetary donations to provide immediate aid to those affected.
Donations of food, clothing and other supplies are not accepted due to the logistics involved.
— with files from the Canadian Press.
