Members of the Canadian Armed Forces walk back to their training area during a winter survival training exercise by The North Saskatchewan Regiment and 38 Combat Engineer Regiment at the newly reopened training grounds north of Prince Albert on Jan. 31, 2026. (Image Credit: Logan Lehmann/paNOW)

By Logan Lehmann

Training

Military conducts first exercises at newly reopened training grounds north of PA

Jan 31, 2026 | 4:22 PM

Soldiers from the Canadian Armed Forces were embracing the cold and snowy weather on Saturday morning as they took on some winter survival training. 

Members of The North Saskatchewan Regiment and 38 Combat Engineer Regiment, part of the 38 Canadian Brigade group, teamed up at the newly reopened military training area north of Prince Albert, where soldiers young and old participated in a series of training exercises designed to help them survive in freezing conditions. 

“We’re training guys to drive snowmobiles, we’re qualifying some guys to run chainsaws, and then we’re doing our basic winter warfare survival training,” explained Captain Eric Ogrodnick, operations officer for the North Saskatchewan Regiment.  

“That’s essentially moving on foot through the forest, setting up tents, heating up the tents so you can spend the night or spend as much time as you need in that tent and then tearing it down and moving. Just getting reps in and getting more and more proficient at staying alive in the cold.” 

The training is foundational for soldiers, teaching them confidence in their equipment and clothing, and maneuverability in the winter. 

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“We talk about in winter warfare, the first enemy is the cold,” he continued. “The first step to being a competent soldier is being able to survive even when – especially since we live in a country that is part of the Arctic. This is the first rung on the ladder to being able to actually do all of your soldier skills in an extreme environment.” 

He added that every year, the military sends members from the 38 Canadian Brigade group to the Arctic to conduct exercises in the Canadian territories and even Alaska, cross-training with the US military. 

Until recently, training exercises haven’t been conducted near Prince Albert since 2011, when the local training area was shut down. Because of the closure, soldiers in the PA area would have to travel to as far away as Dundurn for training, and it wouldn’t be until 2018 that the gears were set in motion to restore the old training grounds north of the city.  

Finally, after seven years of hard work, the ribbon was cut in December 2025 to officially reopen the improved military training area. 

“Having a training area dedicated in PA is really big for us because we’re dispersed, half of us are in Saskatoon and then we have a company in Prince Albert. This gives them the opportunity to do more regular dry training right in their backyard. They don’t have to drive all the way to Dundurn to do their basic dry training.” 

Ogrodnick continued that he was a part of the restoration crew that helped revive the training grounds, saying they had to replace the fencing around the entire property, clean up garbage and trash left behind by trespassers, and clear up some of the trails that have become overgrown, which is still an ongoing process. 

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com