Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Sgt. Morgan Wong, and to everyone still grieving the four soldiers lost at CFB Wainwright.
Morgan Wong was the friend who made sure everyone got together when they came back to Edmonton. He remembered what was going on in their lives, showed up with thoughtful gifts for no occasion, and could sell you on anything with a straight face.
He was 26. He married his wife, Laura, last December after meeting her on deployment in Latvia. Earlier this year he left his job with the Alberta government to become a full-time army instructor. He was at Wainwright this fall training for a second tour overseas.
On Oct. 17, a grass fire overran soldiers during a live-fire exercise. He was one of four killed.
Now four friends who met him at Vernon Barford Junior High are raising money for his father and his wife. The GoFundMe showed $11,284 toward a $100,000 goal on Wednesday.
What happened at CFB Wainwright
CFB Wainwright is the army’s main training base in east-central Alberta, about 210 km east of Edmonton. On Saturday, Oct. 17, soldiers from 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton, were in the middle of a live-fire exercise.
The military says a fire started during a routine training event on the anti-grenade launcher range. Just before 4 p.m., high winds pushed it onto the pairs range, where soldiers were setting up. It moved fast, crossed the base’s fire guard and burned beyond the training area.
Firefighters couldn’t go in. The range is a permanent danger zone for unexploded ordnance, so they could only watch from the edge.
Four soldiers died. Thirty-nine were hurt, many with serious burns. Saskatchewan sent help. Prime Minister Mark Carney called it one of the worst peacetime tragedies the military has suffered on Canadian soil.
Officials say there was no explosion, despite early reports. They haven’t said what started the fire.
Military police are investigating independently of the chain of command to determine whether any offence occurred. Officials stressed that doesn’t mean one did. A separate board of inquiry will look at how it happened and what should change. Alberta’s Chief Medical Examiner is investigating the deaths. No timeline has been given for any of it.
Why his friends are asking for help
Nirbhay Bondili, Adam Roth, Hersh Srivastava and Anthony Yin organized the appeal. They met Wong at Vernon Barford between 2012 and 2015. Most have since moved to other cities. Wong was the one who kept them together.
“He was known for bringing us together no matter the circumstances,” they wrote.
The fundraiser explains something most people wouldn’t know. Wong was a reservist with the Loyal Edmonton Regiment, serving with 3 PPCLI. He’d signed a full-time reserve contract and was in that transition when he died. His friends say the reserves don’t carry the same benefits for a family as the regular forces.
“His loss has not only left an emotional strain on the family, but a financial one as well,” they wrote.
That’s the organizers’ account. Wong’s specific entitlements haven’t been confirmed by the military, and nothing in the fundraiser says the family has been denied anything.
The practical side is simpler. His father, Chek Ming Wong, has had to take time off work. Laura has come from Latvia and is staying in Edmonton. Relatives have travelled in. Morgan had been helping support the family himself.
“Morgan’s father, Chek, has to take a lot of time off of work,” Srivastava said. “Laura came over, his wife, came over from Latvia. She’s staying over. So Chek’s not working, but he has to support Laura and all the other family that’s come as well.”
The money goes directly to his father’s account and will cover funeral and estate costs, travel, lost income and whatever comes next. The fundraiser is independent of the Canadian Armed Forces.
A life of service in Edmonton and overseas
Wong joined the Canadian Armed Forces in December 2017. He went to Harry Ainlay, earned a commerce degree at the University of Alberta in 2022 and worked as a financial analyst for the provincial government, moving up to manager. He was a Big Brother. He was a big Oilers fan.
He served in Latvia on Operation Reassurance from October 2024 to June 2025. His senior leadership liked his work enough to extend him. That’s where he met Laura.
Back home, he trained and mentored recruits. Since November 2022 he’d also volunteered as a medical first responder with St. John Ambulance.
“He was always out helping as best as he can,” said Rhyneice Cook, a community services coordinator there. She said he could seem quiet at first and turned out funny, caring and playful. She saw him at AsiaFest shortly before his death. He’d just been promoted and was squeezing in volunteer shifts before heading back to base.
Srivastava and Wong had a weekly rock climbing date at Factory Climbing. The Wednesday before the fire, they hung out. The next day Wong went back to Wainwright.
“It’s just crazy to think that’s the last time I was going to see him,” Srivastava said. “He really cared about helping people out. I think the military was an avenue for that for him.”
“Morgan carried his coin with him right to the end”
Hundreds filled Park Memorial Funeral Home in Edmonton on Oct. 25. Pallbearers carried in a casket draped in the Canadian flag. Buddhist practitioners sang and prayed. His photo sat on an altar with white rice, oranges and apples.
His sister, Megan, called him “one of the bravest and funniest people I have ever met.” She said he and Laura “were married last December” and that “he was so excited to build an incredible life and family with her.”
Lt.-Col. Bryn Wright, commanding officer of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment, said Wong had left a civilian job this year to become an instructor. “Dedicated to service, reliable, willing to put the regiment ahead of himself. That was Morgan Wong.”
Then Wright told the room something about the regimental coin every member carries.
“Morgan carried his coin with him right to the end,” he said. “In classic fashion, it was still in his pocket.”
The coin and his cap badge will go to his family. The flag was folded and handed to a relative.
Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack was there too. “It’s impossible to replace someone like that, who’s given so much.”
He was predeceased by his mother, Hong Kiaw Tan. He’s survived by his wife, his father, his sister, his father’s partner Kelly, and his grandparents.
The four soldiers killed
Sgt. Morgan Wong, 26, Edmonton
Pte. Hayden Lykkemark, 19, Langley, B.C.
Pte. Aidan Goulding, 23, North Vancouver
Pte. Shaun Farrell, 23, Prince Albert, Sask.
All four were serving with 3 PPCLI.
Read more: Hayden Lykkemark, 19, Remembered After Deadly CFB Wainwright Fire in Alberta
Latest update: 25 soldiers still in hospital
In a Nov. 4 update, National Defence said 25 injured members remained in hospital and 14 had been released. Four of those still hospitalized have been moved to facilities closer to home in British Columbia and Ontario. The military didn’t give a new count of how many are critical.
Among those still being treated is Pte. Trevor Flegel, 26, of Kitimat, B.C., in an Edmonton ICU with burns to about half his body.
How Edmonton has responded
Wong’s friends aren’t the only ones. A 14-year-old, Liam Herman, walked 200 km across Edmonton this week to raise money for the families. A St. Albert tattoo shop is raising funds for military families ahead of Remembrance Day.
“Although this fundraiser is for Morgan’s family, we also want to acknowledge the others who were affected,” his friends wrote. “Our hearts go out to all the families, friends, and loved ones.”
The fundraiser: Support Wainwright Fallen Soldier Sgt. Morgan Wong’s Family. If you can’t give, the organizers ask that you share it.
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