Vernon Military Camp (Image Credit: Vernon Matters)

By Liam Verster

Ramp Up Military Camp Use

Mayor wants federal military spending in Vernon

Feb 24, 2026 | 6:00 AM

The federal government has committed to growing the military, and the Mayor of Vernon wants to see some of that growth achieved locally.

At the regular council meeting Monday, Feb. 23, Mayor Victor Cumming committed to writing a letter to David McGuinty, Minister of National Defence, expressing the city’s support to increase the utilization of the Vernon Military Camp.

“As people know, the federal government has decided to expand the number of people in the armed forces (by 125,000 members over the next 10 years), and there’s going to be a strategy to add significantly to reservists,” Cumming said at the meeting. 

“We know the Dragoons operate from our Vernon Army Camp, and [investing here is] an obvious point for adding to both the reservists and the regular [members]. We’ll just remind the minister that this facility is here and significantly underutilized.”

Council voted unanimously in favour of having the mayor write the letter.

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“I just think it’s really important that, as the federal government seems to be making a policy shift in trying to invest now in both procurement number of boots on the ground, and we’re just wanting to let them know that they’ve got this great asset here, and it would be to our advantage and their advantage to increase the use of the Vernon National Defence facility here,” Cumming told Vernon Matters following Monday’s meeting.

“We’re going to have to train reservists. We do that now [at the Vernon Military Camp], but you might want to do it times ten to really bring it along, really increase the use of our current facility.”

The Canadian Government has also expressed desires to focus more on Canada-made products for its military procurement, which Stephen Fuhr, Kelowna MP and Secretary of State for Military Procurement, previously told Vernon Matters could see investments made in both Okanagan- and B.C.-based companies.

The mayor agreed that there were possibilities for local companies to be awarded military contracts through this new policy.

“I think in the Okanagan we do have some skills in aerospace, and we have some very significant companies that perform in that area,” Cumming explained.

“We also have companies dealing with aluminum and aluminum welding and fabrication, and with steel and steel fabrication. So they already exist here and I think there’s significant possibilities in those realms.

“And we mustn’t forget Kal Tire, who does tires and puts tires on things. If you increase the size of the army you need to increase the number of vehicles, so I imagine opportunities are there for them.”