The route marker for the Highway of Heroes
On August 24, 2007, the Ministry of Transportation, Ontario, announced the stretch of Highway 401 between Glen Miller Road in Trenton, and the intersection of the Don Valley Parkway and Highway 404 in Toronto, would bear the additional name Highway of Heroes (French: Autoroute des heros), in honour of Canadian soldiers who have died. This length of the highway is often travelled by a convoy of vehicles carrying a fallen soldier's body from CFB Trenton to the coroner's office at the Centre for Forensic Sciences in Toronto. Since 2002, when the first fallen Canadian soldiers were repatriated from Afghanistan, crowds have lined the overpasses to pay their respects as convoys pass.
CFB Trenton, 8 Wing, is the largest employer in Quinte West (Trenton), creating a significant economic impact in the local economy.
There are approximately 3,300 regular force, 700 reserve force and 500 civilian members who make-up the workforce.
CFB Trenton is the site of the RCAF Memorial Museum which is home to an original Canadian Halifax Bomber, the 75th RCAF time capsule, as well as many other interesting aircraft and historical information.
Every summer CFB Trenton is home to over 1,000 Royal Canadian Air Cadets who attend a 2-week Familiarization Courses, 3-week Introductory Specialty Course, and 6-week Advanced Specialty Course. These summer courses introduce the cadets to a military learning environment that promotes discipline, teamwork, and fun.
CFB Trenton is also home to the Quinte International Air Show, a biennial event that began in 2016.
Canadian Forces Station Alert (CFS) also falls under CFB Trenton's 8 Wing responsibility. CFS is the "northern-most permanently inhabited location in the world" at only 817 Km from the geographic North Pole. It carries out its mandate to support northern sovereignty, as well as scientific data and remote signal intelligence collection .
CFB Trenton also plays a key support role for the National Search and Rescue Program, being home to Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Trenton (JRCC Trenton), which is jointly staffed by the RCAF and Canadian Coast Guard personnel who have responsibility for coordinating aircraft and marine rescue incidents in central and Arctic Canada .
In addition, the Canadian Army operates the Canadian Army Advanced Warfare Centre, and is the home of the SkyHawks, the Canadian Armed Forces Parachute Team .
Veteran Parking
Effective January 1, 2016 the City of Quinte West honours the Veteran Poppy Plate for free parking at municipal parking lots and metered spaces within City boundaries. Poppy Plate Applications are available at City Hall as well as at Legion Branch 110, 19 Quinte Street, Trenton.
Contact Information
8 Wing / CFB Trenton
P.O. Box 1000 Station Forces
Astra, Ontario K0K 3W0
Canada Base switchboard: (613) 392-2811
Wing Community Outreach and Heritage Officer: (613) 392-2811 x3492
173 Royal Tiger Air Cadets Squadron (Trenton) 613-394-5156
NLCC Trentonian Navy League Cadets 613-392-0788
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