CFLC and HMCS Summerside

This weekend we were lucky enough to join the Canadian Forces Liaison Council (CFLC) for a portion of their Iqaluit ExecuTrek. The CFLC works to promote employer support of the Canadian Forces Reserve, one of the ways in which they do this is to bring employers out to see the reservists in action. The group that we spent the day with were from the Maritimes (for the non-Canuck readers that means New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia) and included HR directors, Company CEOs and City Mayors. As the host destination Nunavut was represented by the Territory's Commissioner and the Government of Nunavut Communications Officer, the City of Iqaluit was represented by the Mayor, the CAO and his assistant, and (this is where we come in) Deputy Fire Chief. The local RCMP detachment was represented too, although he had to surrender his sidearm before boarding the HMCS Summerside!

We gathered at the old jetty on the far side of the inlet at 9am on Saturday morning. A fishing boat acted as a water taxi to ferry us out to the HMCS Summerside where we had to climb a rope ladder to board the 55m Kingston-class coastal defence vessel. 

Captain Luc Tremblay welcomed us aboard and we were given tours of every inch of the ship, from the Captain's quarters to the engines. After an excellent lunch we were treated to a man overboard drill. the water surface temperature registered at barely 5 degrees C so they used a dummy rather than a real victim.

Next on the agenda was a surprise tour of the US Coast Guard Cutter Willow from whom the HMCS Summerside took on 40 tons of fuel. The ships are in the area as part of Operation Nanook which is an annual multi agency operation to exercise Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic.