Armed forces member hurt during training in Cambridge Bay

A Canadian Armed Forces member is listed in fair condition after being injured Tuesday morning while parachuting from an airplane during a training exercise in Cambridge Bay.

At around 9:15 a.m. MT, a member involved in search and rescue training suffered a “hard landing” after jumping from a CC-130J Hercules airplane, public affairs officers Lt. Nathan Charbonneau said in an email.

The targeted drop zone was on the sea ice, just south of the community.

The exercise was being conducted “to maintain the Canadian Armed Forces’ ability to respond to a major casualty incident in the Canadian Arctic,” Charbonneau said, adding it’s part of Canada’s commitment to “provide safety and security to people in the North.”

Charbonneau declined to describe the circumstances leading up to the incident.

“The member’s condition has been assessed as fair, and the outlook for recovery is favourable,” he said.

Medical personnel were on standby to provide immediate care. The injured armed forces member was taken to the community’s health centre, Charbonneau said.

A CC-130J Hercules airplane later transported the person to another medical facility able to provide a higher-level of care.

Citing privacy concerns, Charbonneau declined to give further details on the member’s condition or identity.

He said the investigation by Joint Task Force Nunalivut is ongoing.

It will entail a review of “relevant factors — including equipment, procedures, and environmental conditions.” Until that is completed, investigators will not speculate on the cause, Charbonneau said.

Joint Task Force Nunalivut, which is a branch of the Canadian Armed Forces, is currently training in the Arctic as part of its annual deployment for Operation Nanook-Nunalivut.

In a news release last month, the Government of Nunavut said Operation Nanook, the Canadian Armed Forces’ annual northern training, was being carried out in several Nunavut communities until March 13.