Wainwright vigil pays tribute to the fallen, injured after military base tragedy
Ministers from 7 Wainwright churches took part in Wednesday night church vigil
More than 100 people gathered inside a church in Wainwright, Alta., on Wednesday night to pray, sing and listen to messages of hope as the community grapples with the tragedy that unfolded at the local military base over the weekend.
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that → pay → weekend
Four soldiers died and dozens more suffered profound injuries in a fire while they were taking part in a training exercise.
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they → die → exercise
“Times like this tend to strip us down to the bones,” Pastor Isaiah Mast of the Evangelical Free Church of Wainwright told people who gathered at the church.
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who → tend → church
“Suddenly material things become irrelevant, paperwork can wait, business meetings can be rebooked, lunch and supper can wait.
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lunch → become → ?
And what is it that remains?
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that → remain → ?
The gathering took place at Wainwright Church of the Nazarene in the east-central Alberta town.
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gathering → take → town
Ministers from seven different local churches hosted the faith-based vigil to honour the Canadian Armed Forces soldiers who were killed or wounded on Saturday.
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who → host → Saturday
Pastor Dan Marchuk of the Wainwright Pentecostal Assembly noted that the surviving victims are now “in the battle of their lives.”
“That’s why we're here; these courageous soldiers willingly placed themselves in harm's way to secure our continued peace and freedom as Canadians.”
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soldiers → note → Canadians
Marchuk then read the names of the victims — Sgt. Morgan Wong, Pte. Shaun Farrell, Pte. Aidan Goulding and Pte. Hayden Lykkemark – before leading a moment of silence.
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Marchuk → read → silence
Ryan Wood, lights candles ahead of a vigil for soldiers killed and injured in a training incident at CFB Wainwright earlier this week, at the Church of the Nazarene, in Wainwright, Alta., on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026.
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Wood → light → Wednesday
In place of a prayer, Father Fred Matthews of the St. Thomas Anglican Church offered an Indigenous honour song, drumming and singing for those left behind to mourn, “especially the mothers.”
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Matthews → offer → those
Others who offered prayers included Pastor Ryan Wood of Wainwright Church of the Nazarene, Rev. Dan Peregrine of the Chauvin Gospel Centre , Grace United Church representative Verna Kett and Pastor Jeff Beer of the Irma Alliance Church.
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who → offer → Church
'Our heroes wear combats'
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heroes → wear → combats
The vigil was the second gathering of the day after hundreds of people showed up to line the side of an area highway to send off the remaining soldiers — who were training at CFB Wainwright at the time that the deadly fire unfolded — as they were bused to Edmonton.
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they → show → Edmonton
Flanked by RCMP and military police escort vehicles, from the windows of the two buses, members of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) would have seen about 300 people lining the highway.
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people → flank → highway
Among the crowd were first responders, military members, veterans and families with children waving Canadian flags and holding signs that read messages like “Thank you for your service” and “Our heroes wear combats.”
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heroes → wave → combats
'The cannons were firing again'
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cannons → fire → ?
Wainwright Mayor Bruce Pugh spoke at Wednesday's vigil.
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Pugh → speak → vigil
He helped organize the highway gathering and said when he returned home, he heard the sound of training on the military base.
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he → help → base
“I noticed the cannons were firing again because they never rest, they never stop defending us and preserving our ability to gather in places like this and hear kind words and feel that love.”
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they → notice → love
On Saturday afternoon members of the PPCLI were conducting a live-fire training exercise at CFB Wainwright when winds suddenly and violently turned and sent a grass fire ripping toward the group.
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winds → conduct → group
Four men were killed and 39 soldiers were taken to hospitals across the province with severe burns.
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soldiers → kill → burns
Since Sunday, 12 have been discharged but 27 remain in care with 13 of those in critical condition.
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13 → discharge → condition
Help coming from Ontario
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Help → come → Ontario
On Wednesday, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced at a news conference that Ontario is sending help, including 19 burn unit nurses and five operating room nurses.
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Ontario → announce → nurses
“I understand that changing the dressings on some of the soldiers who were severely burned … can take up to two hours per patient,” Smith said.
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Smith → understand → patient
“I’m very, very grateful.”
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I → ’m → ?
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said his province would also be sending equipment to support that work.
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province → say → work
On base, 50 investigators with the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service, RCMP and the military fire marshal are working to determine how Saturday’s disaster unfolded.
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disaster → work → Service
More details on the incident and investigation are expected to come from military officials Thursday with senior military officials set to address the media at 3 p.m. MT.
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officials → expect → MT
The Aporia
