Canada's building a war-fighting army with tip of spear at CFB Edmonton

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeNewsLocal NewsNationalPoliticsWorld Canada's building a war-fighting army with tip of spear at CFB Edmonton Prime Minister Mark Carney’s June announcement of an $82-billion package for Canada’s defence was an infusion that sparked noticeable changes. Author of the article: By Jackie Carmichael Published Sep 18, 2026 Last updated 0 minutes ago 4 minute read Join the conversation Members of 3rd Canadian Division march onto the parade square during the transfer of command authority parade between 3rd Canadian Division and 1st Canadian Division at the Learning and Training Facility, Canadian Forces Base Edmonton on Sept. 10, 2026. PHOTO BY SUPPLIED /Cpl. Kastleen Strome, Royal Canadian Air Force imagery technician Article content A new shoulder patch will come with new war-fighting preparedness levels not seen since the Second World War at Edmonton’s army base, set to grow by another 1,000 personnel over the next five years. Article content The newly reorganized 1st Canadian Division headquarters has coast-to-coast responsibility for regular-force units with an operational and expeditionary focus. Article content Article content Article content Previously, the 3rd Canadian Division headquartered in Edmonton, it was responsible for all of the army elements from Thunder Bay to the Pacific — reserve, regular force, training, institutional support all fell under one boss, said Col. Robert Tesselaar, commander of the Canadian Support Group West. Article content Headline News Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article content That division was officially stood down in a ceremony last week. Article content “Most simply, what the Army’s reorganization has done is it moved us from a geographical model, where across the country we had four separate divisions that were responsible for the province or provinces that they had troops in a functional model,” Tesselaar told Postmedia in a phone interview. Article content “Under the new 1st Canadian Division headquarters here in Edmonton, the commander is going to have coast-to-coast responsibilities, but it will only be the regular force units with an operational expeditionary focus,” Tesselaar said. Article content “It’s a functional…