If you noticed nine large motorized canoes filled with 50 men and woman in red outfits heading down the Trent-Severn Waterway from Bobcaygeon to Peterborough on Friday (September 9), you were seeing the 3rd Canadian Rangers Patrol Group on a historic voyage from Parry Sound to Ottawa.
Many people in southern Ontario are unfamiliar with the Canadian Rangers, a sub-component of the Canadian Army Reserve which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.
Established in 1947, the Canadian Rangers — predominantly First Nations peoples living and serving in their communities — work in remote, isolated, and coastal regions of Canada. There are five Canadian Ranger Patrol Groups across Canada, with the 3rd Canadian Rangers Patrol Group covering remote coastal and inland regions of northern Ontario.
The 3rd Canadian Rangers Patrol Group comprises 27 individual patrols covering an area of northern Ontario almost as large as the combined size of France and Germany. The area is home to more than 50,000 people living in 49 First Nation communities, many of which have no year-round road access.
“A lot of where we operate in northern Ontario is only accessible by water, so it makes a lot of sense,” says Major Charles Ohlke, referring to the voyage to Ottawa, which is also a training exercise during which the Rangers will be instructed on safe watercraft operation and first aid.
The motto of the Canadian Rangers is “Vigilans,” meaning “The Watchers,” which reflects their role to support both the national security and public safety operations of the Canadian Armed Forces. The 3rd Canadian Rangers Patrol Group is Canada’s military presence in northern Ontario.
So far in 2022, members of the 3rd Canadian Rangers Patrol Group have participated in 10 ground search-and-rescue missions and have rescued 13 people, including two stranded truckers on an ice road, an injured Attawapiskat First Nation snowmobiler, and two young hunters who were stranded about 100 kilometres away from their communities after their all-terrain vehicles broke down.
The 3rd Canadian Ranger Patrol Group expedition left Parry Sound on September 5, traversing Georgian Bay to enter the Trent-Severn Waterway at Port Severn.
They travelled through Buckhorn, Peterborough, and Rice Lake on Friday, which was day four of their voyage.
On Saturday, they will be travelling from Rice Lake to Healey Falls, and then to Campbellford and Frankford on Sunday. After arriving in Trenton on day seven, they will traverse Lake Ontario to Kingston and then head north through the Rideau Canal to Ottawa, finishing their 13-day journey in Ottawa on September 17.
“This exercise not only serves as an event to recognize our 75 years of service to Canada,” says Lieutenant-Colonel Shane McArthur, commanding officer of the 3rd Canadian Rangers Patrol Group.
“It’s also an opportunity for Canadians to interact with Canadian Rangers and learn about what we do within Ontario and the Canadian Armed Forces.”
