SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The high cost of living and the isolation of a posting in the North were two of the dominant themes the ombudsman for National Defence and Canadian Forces heard as he conducted a fact-finding mission this week in Yellowknife, Behchoko and Gameti.

Gary Walbourne, ombudsman for National Defence and Canadian Forces was in Yellowknife, Behchoko and Gameti this week. He has been hearing from military members and their families, including the Canadian Rangers, about the concerns they have in carrying out their duties in the North. - John McFadden/NNSL photo

Gary Walbourne hosted a number of meetings with military personnel and their families to hear about what it is like to be a solider posted in the North and the unique challenges that come with that. Walbourne said this trip is not about coming up with immediate solutions to the problems military members and their families have but to hear the concerns and report back to the minister of Defence.

"The biggest reason I am here is to make sure that all members of the Canadian Armed Forces including the Canadian Rangers are aware of our office and what we can do on their behalf to raise the level of awareness and to listen to the issues that are unique to the North and which ones are causing some chafe points," Walbourne said.

"The beauty of my office is that I'm independent of both chains of command, military and civilian. I report directly to the minister of Defence. It allows me to get to the ground troops and bring (their concerns) back to the minister. Hopefully, it will persuade policy or delay policy implementation if we see there are going to be larger issues."

Walbourne said the issues and problems he has been hearing about this week are not unlike what he hears from soldiers posted to southern bases but that they are exacerbated in the North.

"Isolation ... cost of travel, housing costs, those types of things - they are more exaggerated here than they would the in the south," Walbourne said.

He added that soldiers in the North are paid the same amount as soldiers in the south - there is no cost of living allowance. Walbourne said soldiers posted here do get a higher travel allowance than their southern counterparts.

Walbourne said there was a good turnout in Gameti with more than half of the Canadian Rangers in the community attending the meeting. He said the Rangers have their own concerns and that they are different from what he was hearing from military members in Yellowknife.

"We heard about some problems in delays in receipt of payment. That has been a bit of an issue in the North and I understand the logistics of that," Walbourne said. "Where the new rifles are and when will they be arriving (and) cold weather gear were also topics of conversation."

The Rangers are paid on a daily basis. They work 12 days a year minimum, said Walbourne. He said if they are called for extra duty then they receive extra pay.

"One of the issues that was raised is that (the Rangers) are paid as privates and have been since (the program's) inception," Walbourne said. "We'll have to look at that and see if it's the right rate of pay."

The Rangers' outdated .303 rifles are to be replaced with a more modern .308 model but exactly when that will happen is not entirely clear, Walbourne said.

Also of concern to Walbourne is the death rate among Rangers and Junior Rangers. It has been reported 49 of them have died since January 2011. The military chaplain responsible for the North reportedly called that "significant" and mentioned it a report in early 2014 for the chief of the defence staff and chief of military personnel.

What exactly is causing this apparent high death rate is unknown.

"It has not been the catalyst that has gotten us here. But once we go through the environment and have done the interviews and talked to the people - if that is an issue of concern then we will definitely follow it through," Walbourne said. "Coming up with a mental health plan to reduce that suicide rate and to deal with the actual operational stress injuries ... is focused on that. It's an area of concern across the board. That's part of my job to see that gets done."

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