Question Period Note: Manitoba wildfires

Following the recent wildfires in Manitoba, what is the status of the Canadian Forces School of Survival and Aeromedical Training?

Question: Following the recent wildfires in Manitoba, what is the status of the Canadian Forces School of Survival and Aeromedical Training?
* The safety and well-being of the Defence Team continues to be my number one priority.
* Due to a wildfire risk, on May 12th, students and staff on survival training at Springer Lake were pre-emptively evacuated to 17 Wing Winnipeg.
* Unfortunately, many of the administrative and storage structures at Springer Lake were subsequently damaged or destroyed by wildfire.
* National Defence is currently exploring modified and alternate training sites for future survival courses.
* In the meantime, training will continue to take place at 17 Wing Winnipeg over the summer.
* I would like to offer our sincere thanks to Manitoba Parks and Manitoba Wildfire Services for their efforts to combat the fire as well as to preserve life and property.

Nopiming Provincial Park Wildfire:
* As of May 25, 2025, the Province of Manitoba reports that the fire in Nopiming Provincial Park remains out of control.
* Manitoba Parks further advises the State of Local Emergency in Nopiming Provincial Park, along with the associated park closures, remain in place.
* More broadly, as of May 23, 2025, the Manitoba Wildfire Service reports 12 active wildfires across the province, with a total of 87 wildfires recorded so far this year.
Operation LENTUS
* Provincial and territorial authorities are the first to respond when a major natural disaster occurs in Canada.
* Operation LENTUS is the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) response to natural disasters in Canada. This operation follows an established plan of action to support communities in crisis. This plan can be adapted to multiple situations, such as forest fires, floods, ice storms, or hurricanes.
* Based on the request for assistance, the CAF determines how many people to send, and what kinds of assets to send with them.
* The objectives of Operation LENTUS are:
* To help provincial and territorial authorities;
* To respond quickly and effectively to the crisis; and,
* To stabilize the natural disaster situation.

Responsible Principals: Royal Canadian Air Force

May 28, 2025

Quick facts

The Canadian Forces School of Survival and Aeromedical Training (CFSSAT)
* The CFSSAT offers world-class instruction in Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape as well as Aeromedical Training.
* This training covers topics from spatial disorientation and hypoxia recognition to Arctic survival techniques.
* The School itself is dedicated to the memory of Dr Wilbur Rounding Franks, the Canadian inventor of the G-suit.
* On May 12, students and staff were evacuated from a satellite facility at Springer Lake in Nopming Provincial Park.
* The satellite facility is used to teach Canadian Armed Forces members survival skills in remote locations.