The grandmother of the soldier killed on Monday in an accident during a training exercise at CFB Wainwright says her whole family is in shock.
Private Steven Allen, 20, of Victoria, was inside a “tactical structure” on Monday, training to be a lookout, or sentry, when the wood-and-sandbag structure collapsed.
Allen had only joined the Canadian Forces a year ago and had just completed basic training in February.
His grandmother, Terri Durand, says the family is coping as best it can, but they are still stunned.
"It's still a shock that this could happen, that a 20-year-old, young man, joined the military, wasn't even deployed, and he was killed during a training exercise," she told CTV Windsor.
"I don't even know if it's hit home yet. It's a shock it even happened."
Durand said Allen had a lovely personality, loved to laugh and liked to make others laugh.
"He always thought about others, trying to make light of things in bad situations, trying to make the best of it," she said.
She said Allen loved his country and looked forward to serving as a soldier.
"He was really avid about joining the military and serving our country," she said, adding that she was so proud when she heard he wanted to enlist.
The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service is looking into the incident and says it cannot release any details about its investigation.
CTV News has learned that the structure that collapsed had been inspected in September and found to be in good condition. Senior military sources said maintenance has been a concern amid budget cuts to the Armed Forces, CTV’s Mercedes Stephenson told Canada AM Friday.
She said it's unclear if those budget cuts are related in any way to the structure's collapse.
The family issued a statement Friday offering their thanks for the condolences while also saying they have "many unanswered questions" about the accident.
The statement in full appears below:
"We would like to thank the Canadian military for the awesome assistance we have received during our time of sorrow. Special thanks go out to Captain Jocelyn Roy and Padre Joe Almeida for their care and understanding. We would also like to recognize the hard work and dedication of the medical staff at the University Hospital area 4A4, nurses Shelley, Alison and Xerxes and Dr. Mary Stephens.
“We are heartbroken and have many unanswered questions about how this accident occurred. The military life was what Steven wanted since he was a young man and he was fulfilling this dream in the short time he had with 2 PPCLI. Steven was following his dreams and, despite many obstacles, he never gave up. He wanted to serve his country and was so happy to be part of the military.
“During the past year Steven transformed from a boy into the man that we all know and are so proud of. He was strong, brave and happier in this last year than ever before. When he joined the Forces, he gained a whole new family and we want to acknowledge his military brothers and sisters and the loss they are feeling right now. He died a soldier, a warrior. We love you Steven.
"These tragic circumstances have taken us all by surprise. In the future we will be more than willing to discuss the circumstances regarding this tragedy, however at the moment we ask for some privacy so that we can continue our grieving process.”
