CFB Shilo South Gate off Highway 340, on Sept. 3,  showing controlled access signs and no trespassing under Orders of Ministry of National Defence.  (Photo: K-J Millar/Shilo Stag News)

K-J Millar
Shilo Stag Media

Being able to pivot and turn on a dime to achieve the best outcome is one thing the Army is renowned for, including the updated plan for secured access to CFB Shilo.

The recent decision to add security at the CFB Shilo entrance gates is now all locked up and finalized, with 24-hour secured access to the Base being available at the North Gate through Sprucewoods as of Sept. 15.

Base Commander Lieutenant-Colonel (LCol) J.P. Nguyen addressed citizens in communities from around the Base at a town hall meeting on Aug. 28. He presented a new option to residents that had yet to be approved by the Commander of 3 Canadian Division Support Group (3CDSG), which did receive final approval on Sept. 4. The plan differs from one originally posted online and on social media.

Access control will be at the North entrance, staffed by the Commissionaires 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Anyone utilizing this entry point over the age of 18, whether driver, passenger in a vehicle or a pedestrian, will need to provide government-issued photo identification for entry into CFB Shilo. Anyone driving any vehicle will also need to provide ID, even if under the age of 18. Children will not need to provide ID. School buses will be permitted through, as the driver will need to show ID.

South Gate, off Highway 340, will be staffed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays. It will be closed during evenings, weekends, and public holidays. Identification will be required the same as with North Gate. Vehicles requiring the South Gate will need to contact the Base Duty Centre for access during unstaffed hours.

The move to tighter access control comes from Orders received at several Bases in early August. CFB Shilo, Wainwright and Edmonton were required to provide access control by Sept. 15 to be uniform with other national Bases and Wings.

“It’s because of security posture formation in response to formal threats, including unauthorized access, potential sabotage, and risk to personnel and critical infrastructure,” Major Trevor Michelson, G3 Base operations officer, said while addressing the town hall audience and clarifying why the changes are necessary.

“We received some great input from stakeholders, Military Members and the community at large. Some of it was supportive, some of it was questions, some of it was concerns,” he said of the original proposed security concept.

Community comments and concerns about the previous gate access plan were not unheard by the new Base Commander, who took over CFB Shilo in June. In a meeting with local stakeholders, including Brandon School Division, Ecole la Source, the RCMP, the Rural Municipality of Cornwallis, Military Police Force, and Canadian Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS) on Aug. 27, LCol Nguyen discussed the updated security plan.

Some questions voiced by the public were after-hours access for children and youth to programs and activities on the Base. These included that children, youth and pedestrians would not be able to safely access the Base if they had to enter after hours from the South Gate located on the highway. Another community concern was the necessity of showing government-issued identification for anyone entering the Base, which raised questions about the logistics of school buses and children attending school on the Base.

“The most common themes were Military Families – they like having a safe and secure Base. People like having safe streets … (Another) common theme (was that) military bases should be secure,” Maj Michelson said.

The implementation of additional security measures has been increasing around the Base since it was ordered by 3 CDSG in 2018, with perimeter fencing and infrastructure being added.

“CFB Shilo has always been a restricted zone,” LCol Nguyen said. “Whether or not traffic was allowed in without ID access, it was always a restricted zone.”

The Base Commander pointed out that the Base is a national security establishment and there are signs at the entry gates stating that anyone entering the Base is liable to a search under the National Defence Security Orders, which include the requirement for identification.

Acceptable identification is any photo government-issued documentation, such as a Department of National Defence ID card, Driver’s Licence, Fire Arms Licence, passport and status cards.

LCol Nguyen also said at the town hall meeting that traffic congestion through Sprucewoods at certain times of the day was one of the first things to have been taken into consideration.

“The second thing is that we are going to actively direct folk to use the south gate during work hours – that’s to reduce the flow of traffic through Sprucewoods … The RM of Cornwallis has also pledged they will provide some traffic monitoring flow to better understand the pressure coming through that area. And the (Military Police) will also be on hand … they have committed to providing additional traffic control …”

The Base Commander said it will be “baby steps” as the new processes are implemented.

“We’ll continue to monitor, assess what it looks like, and move traffic around as appropriate to reduce congestion.”