Hits and Misses

PCL Construction supports Helmets to Hardhats Canada

On April 18, Bruce Norman, senior project director of PCL Constructors, of Ottawa, presented Helmets to Hardhats Canada’s executive director, Brigadier- General (ret’d) Gregory Matte, with a cheque for $150,000 to ensure the program’s continued success.

Helmets to Hardhats Canada is a national, not-for-profit organization that works with veterans, businesses and unions to promote employment offers and facilitate enrolment in apprenticeship programs.

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs Eve Adams, on hand for the event, applauded the PCL family of companies for its contribution. “Your generous donation to the Helmets to Hardhats Canada program reflects a long-standing commitment to Canada’s veterans and those in uniform,” said Ms. Adams.

PCL is the largest construction company in Canada, and was commended by BGen Matte for its efforts to become a key corporate sponsor in the Helmets to Hardhats initiative to assist veterans in securing well-paid careers in the building and construction industry.

“Not only has PCL made an important financial contribution, but it has committed to hiring vets who are beginning their apprenticeship in the various trades, thereby contributing positively to workforce development in Canada,” stated BGen Matte. (Photo by CPL Pierre Therault, DND)

HMCS Toronto makes history

One of the largest heroin seizures ever conducted in a maritime environment can be credited to HMCS Toronto, after uncovering 500 kilograms of heroin on a ship in the Indian Ocean on March 29. Currently part of an international task force patrolling both the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea, HMCS Toronto sent a boarding team over to the suspected vessel, after noticing that they were flying an unidentifiable flag off their stern. Once questioned, it became clear that the crew aboard the smuggling ship were not being truthful about the nature of their voyage. The drugs were reported to have a street value in excess of $100 million. (Photo by CPL Malcolm Byers)

Disabled veterans win $887 million settlement

The Federal Court of Canada agreed to an $887 million settlement in a class action lawsuit to compensate approximately 7,500 former soldiers following a six-year legal battle.

Dennis Manuge, who was injured in 2001 at CFB Petawawa, filed the lawsuit in 2007 on behalf of himself and other disabled veterans, and was the lead plaintiff on the case.

Since 1976, the federal government had been deducting veterans’ disability payments from the total amount offered to them through their Service Income Security Insurance Plan (SISIP) benefits. In May 2012, the court ruled this process to be unlawful and forced the Canadian Forces and Veterans Affairs to stop.

The win for disabled soldiers now entitles them to full compensation for the deductions all the way back to the date they had originally taken effect, more than 30 years ago. Defence Minister Peter MacKay said the government would not appeal, and appointed a negotiator to deal with the veterans. (Photo by Bea Vongdouangchanh, The Hill Times)

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20-03 Hits and Misses

CPAC TO AIR HOMECOMING: CASUALTIES OF WAR DOC

(Cameraman Paul Nolan films Chris Hillier, a CF veteran rebuilding his life after suffering from PTSD.)

It is no surprise that the cost of maintaining our military in Afghanistan is still being paid for. What may be more of a shock is the emotional, physical and mental cost soldiers and their families are now burdened with after our troops return home.

Homecoming: Casualties of War aims to go beyond quantifying the numbers of fallen or injured soldiers to look at how the community is responding after they come home. The one-hour CPAC documentary examines the mental, physical, economic and societal challenges faced by members of Canada’s military and takes a look at the broad base of people who have been both directly, and indirectly, affected by war’s aftermath.

The production team, which includes Esprit de Corps publisher Scott Taylor as host, has just wrapped up an arduous filming schedule that included stops across the country, from the tiny, rugged and sparsely-populated outports of Newfoundland to the mild and mountainous coast of British Columbia.

Homecoming: Casualties of War in¬troduces the national debate on the way Canada treats its veterans and the families of those who were killed or wounded while serving their country. Representing these views include NDP Veterans Affairs Critic Peter Stoffer, Liberal Defence Critic John McKay, and the deputy minister of Veterans Affairs. Also included in this narrative will be representatives from the CF, including the Surgeon General, a CF psychiatrist, former CDS Gen. Walter Natynczyk, and critics including Col. Pat Stogran.

The film is set to air on the CPAC chan¬nel on June 2, 2013, so check your listings. ¬

LEAD BALLOON: U.S. ARMY CANCELS LEMV PROJECT

Despite seeing some success during its test flights, the Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV), developed by Northrop Grumman, has been grounded — for now, anyway. The mammoth airship, which purportedly could remain in the air for more than three weeks in a reconnaissance role, was also capable of transporting up to 200 tonnes within its football-field sized hull.

Originally slated for ser vice in Afghanistan, some technical glitches ultimately played the deciding factor in its demise, as the airship wasn’t performance-ready for deployment.

“The Long Endurance Multi- Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV), a hybrid air vehicle, is a technology demonstration project administered by the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command,” said Dov Schwartz, a spokesperson for the U.S. Army Public Affairs. “This project was initially designed to support operational needs in Afghanistan in Spring 2012; it will not provide a capability in the timeframe required. Due to technical and performance challenges, and the limitations imposed by constrained resources, the Army has determined to discontinue the LEMV development effort.” (Right: The monstrous Long Endurance Multi- Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV), a hybrid military airship developed by Northrop Grumman)

Canadian-based Discovery Air Defence Services Inc. had also planned to purchase 40 to 50 smaller variants of the LEMV from British Hybrid Air Services (at $40 million each) for use as heavy-lift transports in remote regions of the North, but due to shaky performance and the sluggish economy, they were forced to cancel their order after their client base dried up.

The LEMV isn’t the only airship to have been grounded in recent years; it’s the third airship project to have been cancelled as the U.S. government continues to scale back defence spending.

Will airships have their day in the skies once again? Perhaps. Unmanned airships may surface sometime in the future as an addition to the world’s ever-expanding drone fleets.

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19-12 Hits and Misses

Movember Winners Announced!

For Movember, Esprit de Corps held a mustache growing competition to raise awareness and money for prostate cancer research. Congratulations go out to winner NDP MP Peter Stoffer for best mustache! Another congratulations to company winner Team Shark Marine who raised $2,060 on their Movember Website. The team consisted of 16 individuals: Marc Uger, Jim Garrington, Reno Standish, Scott Charles, Mike Aitken, Jim Honey, Mark Cools, Tony Mets, Ron Roberge, Brent Thomson, Bill Toovey, Patrick Wrinkler, Josh Dayboll, Randy Kailey, Mike MoGowan, and Craig Mooney.

(Before) (After)

Movember began in 2003 when Travis Garone and Luke Slattery from Melbourne, Australia, decided to start growing mustaches to raise money and awareness for men’s health and prostate cancer. In 2011, the Canadian Campaign of Movember raised $41.9 million and was donated to Men’s Health Programs, including Prostate Cancer Canada. Prostate Cancer Canada provides support and establishes research programs to improve cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

Many Canadians witnessed the rapid deteriorating effects of prostate cancer in the late NDP leader Jack Layton. In his year-long battle, his rapid weight-loss was the talk of many concerned for his health. His death hit home to many Canadians and inspired many to take up the Movember cause to help others fight this disease, including this year’s winner MP Peter Stoffer.

This year, the campaign also focused on mental health as well. According to stats on their website, 1 in 5 Canadians will experience mental health illness in their lifetime, and mental health issues affect over 3.4 million Canadian men and boys each year. On average, 11 Canadian men will die of prostate cancer every day, with 73 new cases being diagnosed every day.

A big thanks from Esprit de Corps!

Esprit de Corps presented several companies with a scale model LAV III as a gift of appreciation for their continued support. Many thanks go out to Rheinmetall, including vice-president Alain Tremblay, director Duncan Hills, and Kevin Lang (1). On hand to accept ADGA Group’s gift were Bud Walsh, Ed Robertson, and Sharon Hill (2). Partner Carlos Santos accepted the LAV III on behalf of IBM (3). MDA Corporation’s Leslie Swartman and Meme Guerrini did the honours (4). Ally Foster, Kristen Shane, and Sneh Duggal accepted on behalf of Embassy magazine (5).Finally, Neil Rudder and Steven Miglia from Textron graciously accepted our gift of appreciation (6). A big thank you to these companies, and to the many other corporations and individuals for the support they extended to Esprit de Corps during 2012. Wishing all of our readers and subscribers the best of the holiday season!

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)

HMCS Windsor has returned to Sea

Her Majesty’s Canadian Submarine Windsor returned to sea December 13, 2012. Over the next few months, Windsor will be in a process known as the tiered readiness program, which includes a series of sea trials, crew training, and certification in preparation for future operation. This program closely resembles the one conducted by HMS Victoria, the first Victoria-class submarine to become operational and weapons certified to fire MK-48 heavyweight torpedoes.

Charges against former CF Medical Technician

The CF National Investigation Services (CFNIS) has charged Petty Officer 2^nd Class (retired) James Wilks for incidents alleged to have occurred at a Naval Reserve Unit in Thunder Bay and at the CF Recruiting Centre in London. Twenty charges have been laid against him including eight counts of sexual assault and nine counts of breach of trust. It has been alleged that between 2002 and 2009, he performed “medical examinations on CF recruits and serving members contrary to prescribed medical procedures,” according to a DND news release. The CFNIS is an independent unit designated to investigate serious and sensitive matters relating to DND property, employees and serving members.

$2.8 million project to 14 Wing Greenwood

Defence Minister Peter MacKay announced a funding commitment of approximately $2.8 million towards improving and replacing intrusion alarms and monitoring system at 14 Wing Greenwood in Nova Scotia.

Changes to Accidental Dismemberment Insurance Plan

Changes have been made to the Canadian Forces Accidental Dismemberment Insurance Plan to allow all Reserve Force personnel, members of cadet organizations administrative and training services, Canadian Rangers and officer cadets in the Reserve Entry Training Plan to have access to the same compensation as Regular Force personnel. All members are now eligible for compensation for accidental dismemberment, loss of use of limb, loss of sight, speech or hearing, which is linked to military service. Timeline changes have been made to extend the period in which a claim can be submitted from 90 days of the injury to 365 days. These changes were made via a recommendation of the Canadian Armed Forces Ombudsman.

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