Joint Task Force North – Whitehorse:
Established on 15 May 1970 as Canadian Forces Northern Area Headquarters in (CFNA HQ) in Yellowknife and Whitehorse, Yukon, to assist and maintain sovereignty north of the 60th parallel and support CF operations in the north. CFNA HQ was responsible for almost 4 million square kilometres of territory.
The headquarters is located in downtown Yellowknife, with a detachment at the Whitehorse Cadet Summer Training Centre at Boyle’s Barracks. A staff of 4 to 5 Regular Force members are posted to the Whitehorse camp year-round, with up to 20 to 25 Regular and Reserve Force member added during the summer when the cadet camp is up and running to work with the cadets.
Canadian Forces Northern Area disbanded in 2006 and Joint Task Force North stood up in its place. The unit was a part of the newly-formed Canada Command, but now falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command (CJOC), established in 2012.
JTF North oversees C Company, The Loyal Edmonton Regiment (4 PPCLI), 1 Canadian Ranger Patrol Group and the Canadiana Junior Rangers in Yellowknife, as well as CFS Alert and a Detachment in Nunavut.
Source Material: CFS Alert web site – www.dnd.ca/eng/archive/1998/aug98/CFSAlert, History of the 400 Series Squadrons – http://www.airforce.dnd.ca/airforce/eng/history_400s/rcafsqns.htm, CPO2 (Ret’d) Chris Carnall (ret’d), Naval Storesman, formerly posted to Boyle’s Barracks (1996-99) & Joint Task Force North web site – www.cfna.dnd.ca.
