Manitoba ICU nurses to help victims of CFB Wainwright fire still in hospital, Kinew says

As the country continues to mourn the loss of four soldiers in Wainwright Alta. to a devastating fire, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said ICU nurses from the province are headed west to help injured service members who remain in hospital.

Kinew was among thousands attending Winnipeg’s Remembrance Day ceremonies at the RBC Convention Centre on Wednesday. After laying a wreath honouring veterans and those in service with the Canadian Armed Forces, he laid out the province’s plan to help those injured by the Oct. 17 fire. The Department of National Defence said as of Nov. 4, 25 soldiers remain in hospital.

“This week, we will be sending nurses, ICU nurses with an expertise in treating burn victims to Alberta,” Kinew told the Free Press following the ceremonies.

The nurses will be deployed on a volunteer basis to replace nurses from Ontario who have been helping with the response, Kinew said. They will be provided room and board by the Alberta government.

“It’s very moving to see frontline heroes here in Manitoba stepping up to take care of some of our service members who need care in the aftermath of the Wainwright tragedy,” Kinew said. “So we’ll continue to step up.”

“Here in Manitoba, we love our veterans, we love the Canadian Armed Forces and we love Alberta,” Kinew said offering condolences to the families of those lost and the survivors.

The Premier said in a world that’s more volatile, Canadians must be a strong voice for peace, but must be ready to stand as a force to those who threaten it.

“The expectation of a strong country like Canada is that we will use our strength to be a force for good and a force for peace,” he said. “There are people out there, like (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, that require us to be prepared to fight and to defend freedom.”

He said that’s exactly what the soldiers who died in Alberta were preparing to do, as they were set to be deployed to Latvia as part of a NATO campaign aimed at curtailing Russian aggression.

Those in attendance, many donning military dress uniforms and medals, were asked by military spiritual leaders at the ceremony to remember the fallen service members ahead of a moment of silence that saw the packed room go quiet.

“In a few moments we will stand in silence,” 17 Wing Chaplain Padre Kimberly Barlow told the crowd. “And in that silence, we may find ourselves thinking of different people, different stories and different losses. Yet we are united by a common understanding that service always carries a human cost.”

Each person we honour today was more than a uniform, and a name etched in stone. They were family members, friends, colleagues, neighbours,” Barlow said.

“This year, that truth feels especially close as we remember those lost in the tragedy of Wainwright,” Padre Barlow said.

“We remember them as members of our military family,” Barlow said. “Their loss reminds us that service carries not only the distant battlefields, but also the demanding work of training, preparing and standing ready to serve.”

Hosted by the Joint Veterans’ Association, the event — Manitoba’s largest Remembrance Day ceremony — is one of thousands happening globally and was also attended by Manitoba’s Lt.-Gov. Anita Neville and Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham.

Carrying the sacred eagle staff in front of the massive crowd as part of Wednesday’s event was Lt. Violet Baptiste.

The Canadian Armed Forces member said it’s important to recognize the sacrifice that comes with duty, whether serving overseas or taking part in Wednesday’s ceremony.

“To do something in service of our country, that’s all it’s about,” she said. “It’s about service.”

From Berens River First Nation, Baptiste said service members constantly put their lives on the line, and on hold, for their country.

Understanding the “complicated history” the CAF has with Indigenous service members, she said like Indigenous service members before her, she enlisted to make things better.

“I was once told by an elder that our members would always step up and try to help when they see trouble happening,” Baptiste said. “Even if it meant going to war (alongside) somebody else like Canada. Often, we were very underestimated and very underappreciated, but now, I can see that recognition start to come.”

Her fiance, Ret. Cpl Joseph Smith served two tours in Afghanistan. He said it means a lot to see so many people come out and recognize veterans and CAF members, as they share a mutual goal: stability at home and abroad.

“For me, when I see the growing numbers that continue to come out to RBC centre every year, it just shows that more and more people want that peace,” he said. “At the same time, they want to recognize those making the effort towards peace; the betterment of the country.”

—With files from The Canadian Press

morgan.modjeski@winnipegfreepress.mb.ca