Major CF role in Ontario's largest-ever emergency exercise

From the official news release (via milnews.ca):

Ontario will test its ability to respond to a disaster by participating in the largest emergency response exercise held in recent history.

Exercise Trillium Response will involve all levels of government and will simulate a massive ice storm in the northwestern area of the province, similar in scope to the one that devastated eastern Ontario and Québec in 1998.

The exercise will take place in Thunder Bay and area between November 17 and 23. More than 1,500 participants from the Ontario and Canadian government, 25 municipalities and three First Nations communities, the province of Manitoba and non-government organizations, will participate.

A fleet of specialized equipment and tactical teams will be deployed in the exercise...

Trillium Response is a multi-jurisdictional disaster response exercise developed by Emergency Management Ontario (EMO) and the Canadian Forces. It will simulate a large-scale ice storm taking place in northwestern Ontario starting on November 17 and escalating over the following week. The exercise will test the province's ability to respond to a full-scale emergency.

Exercise Trillium Response will draw on the expertise of more than 1,500 participants from the provincial and federal governments, 25 municipalities and three First Nations communities, the province of Manitoba and non-governmental organizations. This includes 1,000 members of the Canadian Forces...

"One of Canada Command's primary roles is providing civil and humanitarian aid in times of disaster," said Commander of Joint Task Force Central [HQ in Toronto] Brigadier-General John Collin. "The Canadian Forces will assist the province for this exercise because on any given day, we stand ready to help Canadians in times of need."..

The Canadian Forces, through Canada Command, provides civil and humanitarian assistance to Canadians when requested by civil authorities. For Trillium Response, the Canadian Forces is providing 1,000 soldiers, sailors,
airmen and airwomen [emphasis added] to assist provincial authorities in dealing with the exercise disaster.

The Canadian Forces is also providing military facilities, vehicles, specialized medical and communications equipment and a CC-177 Globemaster transport airplane to ssist in this exercise. Personnel will come from Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, and from Reserve garrisons and bases across Ontario...

FEDERAL PARTNERS

The following federal departments and agencies are involved in the
exercise:

- The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces through its Ontario-based Joint Task Force Central
- Public Safety Canada
- Canadian Coast Guard [Central and Arctic Region--there's a base at Thunder Bay]
- Environment Canada.

I wonder how well Public Safety Canada will perform. And how much high-level attention the exercise will get.