Some big green military machines will be driving through St. Albert and Sturgeon County this Friday as Canadian troops roll out for a training exercise.
About 100 troops from 1 Service Battalion (based out of the Edmonton Garrison) will be driving around 40 vehicles in convoys throughout St. Albert and Sturgeon County this May 3 between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. as part of a training exercise.
While such vehicles aren’t a rare sight in this region, most training exercises typically see less than 10 on the road at a time, said Lt. Joshua Ehnisz, spokesperson for 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group. This extra-large exercise was meant to help the troops prepare for potential wildfires, which may require them to move large amounts of equipment on short notice. They also want to make sure their vehicles are road-worthy, as most of their regular rides are on deployment to Latvia.
Ehnisz said residents should expect to see troops driving military trucks and transports (which are typically painted green in Canada) in and around Bon Accord, north Edmonton, Fort Saskatchewan, Gibbons, Morinville, and St. Albert this Friday, specifically along Ray Gibbon Drive and Highways 2, 15, 28, 28A, 216, 633, and 642.
Drivers should expect to see convoys of up to 10 vehicles in the morning and groups of 40 in the afternoon, Ehnisz said. All the vehicles and troops will stop for lunch in Morinville to set up and tear down a mobile kitchen at the Skyline Ball Diamonds.
Ehnisz advised drivers to be patient if they encounter one of these convoys Friday, as the convoys may be driving at or below the speed limit.
Questions on the exercise should go to the garrison at 780-973-4011.
