Navy reservists train in Muskoka
The waters in cottage country were filled with Navy reservists on Saturday, but it wasn't because of any threat in the area.
Members from HMCS York were at the Muskoka Wharf Boat Launch and the Milford Bay Government Dock on the first day of the long weekend for routine training exercises. While based in Toronto, their geographic reach is far beyond the GTA.
"However, the Muskoka region is in our area of responsibility, so it's incumbent on us to really understand the area, so we're doing area familiarization," says Commander Paul Smith, HMCS York Commanding Officer. "We decided to move the boat team and our divers to get familiar with Muskoka Bay, Milford Bay and Skeleton Lake."
On Saturday, three boats were in the water, with one of those boats consisting solely of members of the dive team. Reservists were looking to understand the shoreline and hazards in the area and the depths of the water so they can respond to a crisis at a moment's notice.
"So that when we're called out to provide support to domestic operations, be that a flooding, any sort of storms, anything that the government needs, we need to be able to move and able to understand the area," says Smith.
HMCS York is one of 24 reserve divisions across Canada.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.