Canadian Military Engineers Association

We regret to advise of the death of Sergeant Frederick Wallace Jenkins Jr., CD (Ret’d), suddenly but peacefully on 19 July 2026, in Nova Scotia at Dartmouth General Hospital.

Fred proudly served his country in the Canadian Military Engineers for 35 years starting with his enlistment as a Sapper Apprentice with the 6th Intake in 1956. He was an Airborne Combat Engineer with a Heavy Equipment specialty who served most of his military career with 2 Combat Engineer Regiment in Petawawa ON but also served in  Chilliwack, Gagetown and Germany. He was honoured as the 1982/1983 Special Service Force Soldier of the Year.  Among his proudest accomplishments was operating heavy equipment during the construction of the Eagle River Bridge in the Yukon in 1977.

For his last posting, Fred served as a Roads and Grounds Supervisor at Canadian Forces Base Summerside PE. Following his retirement from the Canadian Forces in 1991, Fred settled in Lawrencetown NS.

Fred was a founding member of the Old Sappers Coffee Group, where lifelong friendships continued to grow over Thursday morning coffee.

A funeral service will be held on  28 July 2028 at 2:00 pm at St. Luke’s Anglican Church, 9 Veteran’s Ave, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, with a reception following. Online condolences can be sent to the funeral home.

We regret to advise of the death of Sapper Mike Hnatiuk (Ret’d), a Second World War veteran, on 12 July 2026 at the Sandy Lake (Manitoba) Personal Care Home at the age of 106 years.

The second youngest of 10 children, Mike was born on the family farm in Sandy Lake where he was to live for 101 of his 106 years. Mike left Sandy Lake at the age of 19 to enlist for the Second World War and served with the Royal Canadian Engineers in France, Belgium and Holland.

Upon returning from overseas, Mike purchased his own farm in the Sandy Lake area and followed a farming career for 40 years. Upon retiring from farming, Mike built a house in the town of Sandy Lake and lived there for 35 years. He devoted much of his time in retirement to helping fellow farmers in the area with odd jobs, to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Sandy Lake and the Royal Canadian Legion  Sandy Lake Branch 184.

Mike’s funeral service was held on 17 July 2026. Online condolences can be sent to the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of St. Michael’s [ Box 86, Sandy Lake, MB, R0J1X0].

We regret to advise of the death of Firefighter Sergeant Melvin Carl Burton, CD (Ret’d), peacefully on 11 July 2026, at the age of 85 after a long illness.

Mel was born in Rose Blanche, NL and his family moved to North Sydney, NS when he was five. Mel joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1959  with the Royal Canadian Air Force and served a 20-year career as a Firefighter with the Canadian Military Engineers. Mel’s military service took him across Canada, including postings to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu QC, Winnipeg MB, Aylmer and Borden ON and Penhold AB. This was followed by a posting to Europe at Marville, France, and Lahr, Germany. Returning to Canada, Mel was stationed in Rivers MB and Edmonton AB before his final posting at Downsview ON.

Mel retired from the Canadian Forces in 1980 and settled in Burlington, ON. In his second career, Mel was employed by Zurich Insurance Canada for 20 years as a Senior Loss Control Engineer.

Mel’s funeral service will be private with his immediate family. Mel suffered from a rare muscle disease called Sporadic Late-Onset Nemaline Myopathy. Donations in Mel’s memory may be made to support this research or to a charity of your choice. Online condolences can be sent to the funeral home.