Scott Rohan
On a Saturday night in November, a near-capacity crowd filled Tamitik Arena not for the hockey — Kitimat’s Ice Demons lost 3-1 to the Prince Rupert Rampage — but for a 26-year-old hometown soldier fighting for his life in an Edmonton hospital. By the end of the night, the town had raised $47,749 for him.
Private Trevor Flegel of Kitimat was critically injured in the Oct. 17 fire at CFB Wainwright in Alberta — the blaze that killed four Canadian soldiers and injured 39 others. He suffered severe burns to about half his body and faces a long recovery; in its most recent update, on Nov 5, his family said he would remain in intensive care for at least several more weeks. Flegel, who joined the military in 2024, is a dirt-bike rider and an outdoorsman his family describes as self-reliant and strong-willed. They have asked for privacy.
Kitimat is a town that stands together. Tonight we want Trevor to feel just how much support and care surrounds him
Game Announcer
The Nov. 7 dedication night, reported by The Northern View, turned the whole building into a fundraiser: a silent auction, a 50/50 draw, a puck toss and a “Fill the Boots” collection. More than 100 businesses, groups and residents put in over $30,000 in cash and prizes, from a freezer of meat to tickets to a Canadiens–Oilers game. The 50/50, backed by the U18 Rep Kitimat Winterhawks, paid out $5,514 to one winner. A warrant officer with Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry dropped the ceremonial first puck, joined on the ice by Kitimat’s Royal Canadian Army Cadets and the RCMP, and the tribute also honoured two of Flegel’s injured fellow soldiers, Aiden Dal Monte and Thomas Olson.
“Kitimat is a town that stands together,” the game announcer told the crowd before the opening faceoff. “Tonight we want Trevor to feel just how much support and care surrounds him.”
The arena total is only part of it. A GoFundMe organized by Flegel’s longtime friend Kyle Germuth had reached $136,171 by Nov. 12 — well past a goal that had already been raised twice — to help the family with travel to Edmonton, accommodation, meals and lost income.
The fire’s toll is still being counted elsewhere: Maj.-Gen. Wade Rutland of 1st Canadian Division said on Oct 22 that of the 39 soldiers injured, 27 remained in hospital and 12 had been released. In Kitimat, the message on Saturday was simpler. The town showed up.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/standing-with-trevor-flegel-cfb-wainwright-recovery-fund
