Winnipeg armed forces honoured with Freedom of the City

Members of 17 Wing and CFB Winnipeg march to city hall to receive the Freedom of the City on May 7, 2025.

Two of Winnipeg’s military units received a significant honour Wednesday morning.

Members of 17 Wing and CFB Winnipeg had the Freedom of the City bestowed on them by Mayor Scott Gillingham following a march and inspection in front of city hall. The Freedom of the City is one of the highest municipal honours a military unit can receive.

“This is a special and time-honoured tradition, one that symbolizes the highest level of trust and respect between a city and the military units that serve our nation,” Gillingham said during a speech to members.

The unit was previously granted the honour by former mayor Bill Norrie in 1992.

Col. Jody Hanson, commanding officer of CFB Winnipeg and 17 Wing, said she was honoured and excited to take part in Wednesday’s event.

“We marched through with our colours flying and our drums beating, our bayonets fixed, which typically you would not be normally doing on a normal day,” she said. “So, it’s just a special occasion to mark how much they trust and respect us and the contributions to the city.”

Wednesday’s event also coincided with the 100th anniversary of CFB Winnipeg.

“We thought it was a perfect, wonderful opportunity to bring this back to life for the day and celebrate the history and all the activities that we’ve had at the base for the past 100 years,” Hanson said.