709 Toronto Signals will be accepting registration for youth aged 12 to 18 years in September 2022.
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN JOINING CADETS?
Please go to https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/cadets-junior-canadian-rangers/cadets/join-us.html and click on “Submit An Application” and complete the requested information. You can identify the closest Cadet Unit to your home with your postal code.
What You Need to Know
Eligibility to Join
Cadets must meet the following requirements to join 709 Toronto Signals, Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps:
- Be at least 12 years old, and not older than 18;
- Legally reside in Canada;
- Have parental permission to join;
- Be medically, physically, and mentally able to participate in Cadet training; and
- Be willing to commit to training as outlined below
Note: Cadets must leave the program when they turn 19 years old.
How to Join
- We will need the following supporting documents to be copied:
- OHIP Card
- Birth Certificate/Passport
- Bring a parent/guardian to sign you up.
Cadets in 709 Toronto Signals are expected to attend all weekly Wednesday training nights and monthly weekend activities. Our weekly Wednesday evening training operates from September to June, with a two week winter break, and a week long break during the school March Break. There are also monthly activities that are either a full weekend (Friday evening to Sunday evening) or a full Saturday or Sunday. Some of these weekend activities are considered mandatory for Cadets, and are tied to the training programme. To help fund the programme, there are two fundraising weekends, the first in early fall, and the second in spring. These fundraising sessions, known as “tagging”, are mandatory for all Cadet members to participate in. Operating similar to school years, Cadets are arranged in one of five training levels, with each level building on the one prior. Like school, there is a graduation ceremony at the end of the year known as the Annual Ceremonial Review (ACR). Attendance is mandatory for all Cadets to graduate in their training level and to participate in optional annual Cadet Summer Training Camps. More on the summer training when you come visit the Corps!
Other activities, such as teams, recreational activities, and summer courses, are optional, but highly recommended. Attendance at mandatory activities is a significant determinant for inclusion in these optional activities, so Cadets are encouraged to maintain good attendance.
At a minimum, Cadets must have minimum of 60% attendance, and not miss more than three consecutive training nights. Should this commitment not be met, then Cadets may be required to return their uniform and any issued items. Cadets must inform Corps when expecting to be absent for an activity or an extended period of time, and must sign in at Corps Orderly Office if they arrive late for training and miss roll call at the beginning of a training session.
The Royal Canadian Army Cadets
The Royal Canadian Army Cadets is a national youth programme for youth aged 12 to 18 years, operated and funded by the Canadian Armed Forces, in partnership with and the Army Cadet League of Canada, a civilian non-profit organization. The programme focuses on leadership, sports, and adventure training. This is done through a training programme during the school year, summer courses, and various regional, national , and international expeditions.
Cadets are not members of the Canadian Armed Forces, and there is no expectation for Cadets to join the military.
Joining Cadets is free, there is no charge to register and uniforms are supplied without charge. There may be some optional activities that Cadets may choose to participate in that there is a charge for from time to time. In these few instances, the charge is nominal.
709 Toronto Signals, Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps
709 Toronto Signals, Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps, is part of a national youth programme operated by the Department of National Defence for youth aged 12 to 18 years, under the umbrella of the Canadian Cadet Organizations (CCO). There are approximately 60,000 youth members of the CCO from coast to coast to coast.
Located in central Toronto, near Eglinton Avenue West and Dufferin Street, we have approximately 100 Cadet members – and we will always welcome you to join us! 709 Toronto Signals trains on Wednesday evenings between 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. at St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School, 636 Glenholme Avenue, Toronto. Our formal Headquarters is located at Fort York Armoury, 660 Fleet Street, Toronto, and we hold various optional training activities at this location throughout the training year. We are proud to state that our Canadian Armed Forces affiliated unit is 32 Signal Regiment, Royal Canadian Corps of Signals.
Uniform
Cadets will be issued their uniform approximately 12 weeks after joining the Corps. The uniform, and any other issued equipment, remains property of teh Department of National Defence must be returned upon the retirement of any Cadet. While on loan, Cadet are expected to maintain and care for their issued uniform and other issued equipment, maintaining them in a suitable and serviceable condition.
Costs
There are no costs or fees to join the Cadet programme, including all mandatory activities, summer courses, and expeditions. There may be costs to attend some recreational activities. Other secondary costs may be necessary for uniform maintenance (such as boot polish kits), snacks from the Corps Canteen, and other items such as a nametag or other non-uniform item.
Staff & Instructors
Staff at 709 Toronto Signals (and any Cadet Corps or Squadron) are composed of one of two groups – Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel, or civilians. CAF personnel can be Commissioned Officers or Non-Commissioned Officers. You will easily identify these members by their military uniform. Civilian staff are divided into three groups – Civilian Instructors, who are civilian contractors employed by the Department of National Defence (DND); Civilian Volunteers, who are unpaid staff employed by DND to work on the Corps staff and report to the Commanding Officer. The third group of civilians are also Civilian Volunteers who are part of the Support Committee, part of the Army Cadet League of Canada, and report to the Support Committee Chair.
In all cases, any adult who has an authorized role at the Corps has undergone training specific to their duties and have undergone extensive Police records screening by either DND or the League (depending on their status) and have received training designed for working with youth. There is constant oversight by both organizations and all members are expected to maintain a high-level of professionalism at all times.
Summer Courses
Cadets can take the opportunity to participate in summer training at Cadet Training Centres across Canada. Courses range from 2 to 7 weeks in length, and challenge participants in a wide spectrum of training opportunities such as drill and ceremonial, fitness and sports, marksmanship, music, and expedition training. In Ontario, courses are primarily held at two Cadet Training Centres (CTCs): Blackdown CTC (at Canadian Forces Base Borden, near Barrie), and Connaught CTC (at the Connaught Ranges, near Ottawa). Applications for summer courses are done in January-February, and selections are done in April-June. Most Cadets who apply are selected for summer courses, but due to limited course availability, there are times when not all Cadets may be selected. Cadets are selected on the basis of attendance, Cadet level, previous courses, training performance, and attitude.
Expeditions
Various training expeditions are held throughout the Cadet training year. Weekend expeditions are held for Cadets in their third and fourth year training levels (Silver and Gold Star), and multi-week regional, national, and international expeditions are available for Cadets in their fifth training level. Expeditions involve, hiking, snowshoeing, skiing, canoeing, kayaking, mountaineering, and other physical outdoor activities.
Teams
709 Toronto Signals operates various optional teams during the training year. Generally, the optional training takes place on Monday evenings, and normally at Fort York Armoury. Some of these optional training activities can lead to participation in inter-unit competitions at the local, regional, provincial and national levels. These teams are optional to join, but require a high level of commitment and attendance for those on them. The teams include Air Rifle Shooting Team, Orienteering Team (outdoor map and compass navigation), and Flag Party, to name a few.
Joining the Military
Cadets are not military members, and are not required to join the military. However, those who do wish to join will have an advantage over other applicants, be better prepared for military training, and may have pay incentives when joining the Regular Force.
Canadian Armed Forces Recruiting
Training Locations
709 Toronto Signals primarily operates out of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School on Wednesday evenings between 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. The school is located at 636 Glenholme Avenue, near Eglinton Avenue West and Dufferin Street, Toronto. Some other activities are held at Fort York Armoury, 660 Fleet Street, Toronto. For Field Training Exercises (FTX) that take place at various points in the training year, the gathering and departure point will be at the Denison Armoury, 1 Yukon Lane (west of Sheppard Avenue West and Allen Road), Toronto.