This composite of handout images shows Canadian Armed Forces members, left to right, Pte. Hayden Lykkemark, Pte. Shaun Farrell, Pte. Aidan Goulding and Sgt. Morgan Wong, who died during a training exercise at CFB Wainwright in Alberta, on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — Canadian Armed Forces (Mandatory credit))

By Doug Collins

One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: A double-edged sword in Wainwright

Oct 26, 2026 | 6:00 AM

AS MORE DETAILS EMERGE, the recent tragedy at CFB Wainwright, Alberta, shows how easily a relatively common occurrence can turn into tragedy in moments.

Just over a week ago, a fire and explosion at the base took the lives of four soldiers at the scene and sent almost 30 more to hospital, a number of them in critical condition.

Now comes the difficult part – trying to determine who, if anyone, was responsible, were there errors in judgment? These and many other questions will be asked over the next few months before a final report is issued.

Here are a few things we know:

There was a live munitions exercise going on, a critical part of combat training.
One or more small fires were burning in the area of the base, and there was a wind blowing, neither of which is uncommon for that area.
There was a wind warning out, which was known by command forces.
Suddenly the wind changed direction and speed, blowing at such a rate that it covered a kilometre in 36 seconds, causing a fire and explosion, taking the lives of four soldiers.

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COLLINS: A double-edged sword in Wainwright

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Now there are some questions. Family members feel more could have been done to save the soldiers’ lives. Maybe. Could operations staff have acted before the wind shifted? Maybe.

These questions need to be answered, but we must not jump too quickly. The investigation needs to be thorough, but many decisions have to be made before we can draw conclusions.

And then there is the whole issue of safety for soldiers in training. The military must be trained in dangerous conditions to be able to stay alive on deployment. If not, they won’t be coming home. I’m not sure what part the drills played in this whole affair. Hopefully the full story will come out, and we’ll be able to put some closure to a terrifying event that will change many peoples’ lives forever.

I’m Doug Collins and that’s One Man’s Opinion.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.

by Doug Collins

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COLLINS: A double-edged sword in Wainwright

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