The MFRC Deployment Support team has a wide variety of deployment related resources for children and adults. Available in English and French.
Resources for Adults
- Family Handbook
- Preparing for Deployment Stress
- Preparing for Critical Incident Stress
- Preparing for Reunion Stress
- CF Members Assistance Plan
Resources for Children & Youth
- Joey’s Mom is Going Away
- A Father to be proud of
- My Mother is a Soldier
- Student Deployment Journal
Please click e-mail to request a copies of available resources from the Deployment Services Coordinator. Please click Online to see more resources, or see below.
Downloadable Materials
Download a Military Family Handbook (English)
Preparing for Critical Incident Stress
Preparing for Deployment Stress
Preparing for Reunion Stress
Student Deployment Journal
A Father To Be Proud Of
Joey's Mom is Going Away
My Mom Is a Soldier: Facilitators Guide
Sesame Street
Homecoming Handbook
Family Information Line
1-800-866-4546 (Toll-free in North America)
1-613-995-5234 (Collect calls accepted)
For the Family Information Line click here.
FIL counsellors are available to handle calls in confidence Monday to Friday, except on statutory holidays, from 8:00 to midnight (Eastern Standard Time).
Peace of mind is only a phone call away!
Families and loved ones of Canadian Forces personnel can contact the Family Information Line for any support they may need as a result of the unique nature of military life. The Family Information Line offers confidential, personal and bilingual assistance for obtaining information, reassurance, support and referral to the various services offered to military families. For the loved ones of deployed personnel, the Family Information Line also features a 24-hour, toll-free service with detailed recorded messages about deployed operations in Canada and abroad.
Social Activities
The MFRC Deployment Support team organizes periodic activities for families of deployed soldiers. The primary purpose of these events is to provide you with an opportunity to get out, meet with other families, and share experiences/advice in a relaxed and fun setting. Check our important dates and our newsletter for the schedule of upcoming events.
Information Briefings
In partnership with the Units, the MFRC Deployment Support team will host regular update briefings for families. The intent of these regular briefings is to pass on the latest news regarding deployments, advise families of new support resources and/or activity opportunities in the Edmonton area, answer any questions, and provide a general forum for the exchange of advice and ideas. Please check important dates and our newsletter for a schedule of upcoming information briefings.
Parent Unit Family Support Cell
Many units at Edmonton Garrison have internal Family Support Cells, to provide families with an additional, local point of contact and source of support. The MFRC Deployment Support team works in close collaboration with the Unit Family Support Cells, to coordinate and provide deployment support programs for families.
The telephone numbers for all Unit Family Support Cells are found on the first page of this booklet. We strongly encourage you to stay in touch with your partner’s Parent Unit.
A CF member’s PARENT UNIT is the unit to which the member is posted. For example, an infantry member or a clerk from 1 PPCLI tasked to Op ATHENA is still 1 PPCLI because that is the unit to which they are posted. Conversely, the parent unit for a medic with 1 PPCLI or LdSH(RC), for example, is 1 Fd Amb because that is where they are posted.
Ops Unit Record Support (URS)
When a service member is deployed overseas, a Unit Records Section (URS) is designated in Canada to hold all of the member’s military records for the duration of the tour. The URS is responsible to provide administrative and financial support to personnel deployed on operations. The typical functions provided by a URS during a tour include ensuring that the member’s pay is correct, that arrangements for leave (including reimbursement of funds) are made, and that information regarding the member’s family address and/or Next of Kin is correct and current. It is important to understand that while the MFRC Deployment Support team can act as a local point of contact for assistance in dealing with administrative problems, the URS is the only agency that can take the physical action necessary to resolve it. Remember that you will need an approved power of attorney form to access your partner’s pay while they are overseas. This form can be obtained by the military member from the Unit Orderly Room and needs to be completed before your partner deploys.
Military Family Support Agencies
There are many organizations and people that are available to lend support to families during deployment. Some of these partners in support are listed below.
Garrison Social Work Office
The Garrison Social Work Office (GSWO) is comprised of military and civilian social workers well versed in the unique lifestyle of the military family. The staff is available to assist with individual, marital and family counseling. Other preventative services are also offered. Sometime just being able to talk about your concerns can help you overcome, or at least reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed by the demands of the military lifestyle. You can contact the GSWO by calling the Garrison Operator at 973-4011.
Chaplains
The military Chaplains are well versed in the issues facing the families of our military members. Both the Roman Catholic (RC) and Protestant Chaplains are located in Lancaster Park. Many of the Units have their own Chaplains. You can contact the unit to find out this information. During silent hours, a "duty chaplain" is always available to look after emergency situations. You can contact Pastoral care 24 hrs a day by calling the Garrison Operator at 973-4011.
The following is a list of helpful resources for families, to be found on the Internet:
Deployment Preparation (These are U.S. links)
www.afcrossroads.com
www.goacs.org
Deployment Resources
Power of Attorney
From the Prime Minister's Office
Military Sites:
Books
Pascoe, Robin. The wife’s guide to successful living abroad: coping with children anger and resentment an overseas career hosting parties boredom making friends domestic help. Times Books International, 1992. - This book offers emotional support for married women who have to make a home away from home.
Harrison, Deborah & Laliberte, Lucie. No life like it : Military wives in Canada. James Lorimer & Company, Publishers Toronto, 1994. - 150 military wives were interviewed from all ranks across Canada and discussed the impact of military life on their marriage, their careers, and their families.
Collier, Dianne. Hurry up and wait: an inside look at life as a Canadian military wife. Creative Bound Inc., 1994. - This book discusses issues that military wives can go through and help military wives understand why things are the way they are. It also covers what resources are available from the military.
General
Coping with Military Separations. A Canadian Forces Production. Duration: 22.15 minutes.