A large number of military personnel and vehicles will be on the roads between the Greater Toronto and Area

A large number of military personnel and vehicles will be on the roads between the Greater Toronto and Area and Canadian Forces Base Borden starting this week, as the military works to ensure its troops are ready to respond to requests for help during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said last week that there are up to 24,000 regular and reserve forces that will be ready to immediately respond to any requests for assistance related to the pandemic, whether that be delivering aid, supplies or other actions. In an advisory that was sent out on Sunday morning, the Canadian Forces said that members from Joint Task Force Central (JTFC) will be moving from their various units across Ontario to CFB Borden starting on Monday. “In Borden, these Forces will be forming a task force that will be centrally prepositioned on the base and kept ready to respond to future requests for assistance from the Government of Canada in the fight against COVID-19,” the statement reads. “JTFC is ready to support the Public Health Agency of Canada, Public Safety and other government departments in the fight against COVID-19 and other domestic crises such as seasonal flooding.” So far Quebec is the only province to make a formal request for help from the Canadian Forces.