The crack of gunfire from soldiers positioned on a ridge overlooking the snow-covered sand quarry shatters the cold, signalling the start of the exercise.
With that cue, about 40 troops in white camouflage and snowshoes advance in formation, firing as they move.
At the far end of the quarry, seven soldiers, playing the role of the enemy, return fire.
Objective Gravel is one of several scenarios unfolding this week as approximately 175 members of the Canadian Armed Forces conduct a sub-Arctic training exercise in and around Chisasibi in northern Quebec. The Cree community is about 1,000 km north of Montreal on the eastern side of James Bay.
Over the course of the nine-day winter warfare exercise, temperatures have at times dropped into the -40s C.
“The downtime is when this weather can get dangerous,” says Lt. Patrick Langlois, a reservist with Montreal’s Black Watch regiment. “It’s when we stop — if the men get sweaty and it starts freezing on them, that’s when there’s the danger of hypothermia.”
Dubbed “Xerus Nordique”, the exercise is part of a broader effort to prepare for operations in harsh northern conditions — an increasingly critical mission as Canada seeks to assert sovereignty in the north.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
Last year’s CAF policy update called defence of Canada’s Arctic and sub-Artic regions the “most urgent and important task” the military faces, as climate change reshapes both the geopolitical and physical landscape of the North.
The Chisasibi exercise is being conducted by members of the 34 Canadian Brigade Group, mostly members or reserve regiments in the Montreal region.
The group falls under Joint Task Force East (JTFE), which is responsible for Quebec.
“It’s extremely important to be able to go anywhere in our area of operation,” says Lt. Col. Sébastien Campagna, the brigade group commander.
Winter warfare exercises are held regularly on bases in the southern part of the province. It’s been more than a decade since soldiers last trained in Chisasibi, where the harsh conditions and unfamiliar terrain presents different challenges.
Campagna says training on base is like camping in your backyard.
“If you need something, you go back into the house — which is pretty much what happens. Here you can’t, so you need to be ready.”
A group of Canadian Rangers, Canada’s Indigenous reserve unit, is also participating in the training. They’ve shared tips for dealing with the cold, and also provided protection. While the troops in the exercise are firing blanks, the Rangers’ weapons are loaded in case any dangerous wildlife approaches.
“They’re close by to make sure nothing goes wrong,” says Warrant Officer Carl Pépin, . “They need them just in case — but nothing so far.”
The trip to Chisasibi has also been an opportunity for outreach and recruiting in the community. Pepin has visited schools to talk about the Rangers and Junior Rangers programs.
Rangers Master Corporal Colin Pepabano has been working alongside the troops. He remembers the last time soldiers held winter warfare training in Chisasibi in 2014 when he was just a boy. He joined after losing his mother last year.
“I’d been looking for something meaningful to do in my life,” he says. “It’s been great so far.”
The goal is to make winter warfare training in the north an annual trip, and to hold a larger division-lever exercise within a few years, with about a thousand troops.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Inside the Canadian military’s training for sub-Arctic warfare
