Motorcade procession planned for 4 CAF members killed in helicopter crash

Capt Brenden MacDonald, Capt Maxime Miron-Morin, SLt Matthew Pyke, and MCpl Matthew Cousins will arrive home in Halifax and Truro, N.S., on Thursday, June 25.

As previously announced, six Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members died in the CH-148 Cyclone helicopter crash in the Mediterranean Sea on April 29, 2020. The homecoming for SLt Abbigail Cowbrough took place on May 11 and the homecoming for Capt Kevin Hagen will be held in Victoria, B.C., on June 27.

The Pyke family will be joined by military and civilian dignitaries in a police-escorted motorcade from the Halifax International Airport to the Mattatall-Varner Funeral Home in Truro.

The MacDonald, Miron-Morin and Cousins families will be joined by military and civilian dignitaries in a police-escorted motorcade from the Halifax Stanfield International Airport to the Atlantic Funeral Home in Dartmouth, N.S.

The departure time is planned for 5:45 p.m. local time and the detailed route is outlined below. Please note there might be delays or changes to the route due to circumstances beyond the CAF’s control.

CAF appreciate the outstanding support of our communities for the families of our fallen and the CAF itself. For those who wish to recognize MacDonald’s, Miron-Morin’s, Pyke’s, and Cousins’ return home, the CAF asks that you join it in adhering to COVID-19 restrictions and practice physical distancing while paying respects, in addition to observing traffic rules. While the CAF understands and recognizes Canadians’ grief and the need to mourn at this difficult time, it asks it is done so in a way that protects the health and safety of everyone.

For traffic safety, the motorcycle part of the procession will be by invitation only. Riders who want to pay their respects are kindly asked to line the route and not join the procession as it passes.

As the families are grieving as a result of their tragic losses, we request the public and the media respect their privacy.

Planned motorcade route for Pyke:

1. Start at the Park ‘n’ Fly parking lot on Barnes Dr, exit right
2. Turn right on Baldwin Dr to Pratt and Whitney Dr
3. Turn right on Pratt and Whitney Dr to Bell Blvd
4. Turn left on Bell Blvd and take the exit for NS-102 North (Truro)
5. Take Exit 13 to McClures Mills Road / Truro Heights Connector Road
6. Turn left onto Willow St / Nova Scotia Trunk 2 North
7. Turn right onto Arthur St
8. Turn left onto Young St
9. Turn right into the Mattatall-Varner Funeral Home, 55 Young St, Trur

Planned motorcade route for MacDonald, Miron-Morin, and Cousins:

1. Start at the Park ‘n’ Fly parking lot on Barnes Dr, exit right
2. Turn right on Baldwin Dr to Pratt to Whitney Dr
3. Turn left on Pratt and Whitney Dr to Aerotech Dr
4. Turn right on Aerotech Dr to NS-102
5. Take NS-102 South (Halifax) exit
6. Follow the NS-102 South, keep left at the fork to continue on NS-118
7. Take Exit 11 to merge onto NS-111 South to Pleasant St
8. Turn left on Pleasant St to Corsair Dr
9. Turn left on Corsair Dr to Banshee Ave
10. Turn right on Banshee Ave to Swordfish Dr
11. Turn right on Swordfish Dr to Boundary Rd
12. Turn left on Boundary Rd to Magnificent Ave
13. Turn right on Magnificent Ave
14. Turn right on Bonaventure St to Main Rd
15. Turn left on Main Rd, through Eastern Passage to Cow Bay Rd
16. Turn left on Cow Bay Rd to Caldwell Rd
17. Turn left on Caldwell Rd to Cole Harbour Rd (Portland St turns into Cole Harbour Rd)
18. Turn right onto Cole Harbour Rd to Forest Hills Parkway
19. Turn left on Forest Hills Parkway to Main St
20. Turn right on Main St, drive 100 metres past the Montague Rd intersection
21. Turn left into the Atlantic Funeral Home, 771 Main St, Dartmouth