Often on the move

My dad was posted in Petawawa in the mid-90s and we spent a bit of time there. We spent, I think, around six years in Gagetown before moving to Ottawa, then back to Petawawa. We actually spent two years in the United States, in Kansas. - Family Member

Service life is a life full of moves. Military members can be posted to a new base as often as every 24-60 months with about 10,000 families settling into new homes and communities each year. RCMP members and their families typically face transfers every few years. Some moves might be by choice and others not. As with many aspects of service life, this reality has both benefits and challenges for service children and youth.

It was cool because it opened us up to a lot of new experiences that most people in Canada don’t get to take part in. We made a lot of friends from Denmark, Norway, Ireland, Australia. It really just let me and my sisters get to meet a lot of really awesome people that I don’t think we would have been able to meet otherwise. - Family Member

I had two teenagers in school and we had two years to decide - stay in Petawawa or to move. We moved but I didn't have the same level of support, even though my family was close by. Certainly not the same as if I’d stayed in Petawawa. And I think, you know… I think we sometimes underestimate how important that support from a like-minded community is. - Military Spouse

Moves may also occur due to discharge or transition out of service or if the service member dies.   Physical separation from a familiar community of support, especially after a death, can make a tough situation even more difficult and isolating.

Frequent moves can impact children and youth. They may struggle in school or have a hard time making new friends.

My daughter - she’s 10 - went to my sister’s house every day after school to play with her cousins. When we moved she cried every day for weeks. - Family Member