I took my HHT to Shilo one December. Got out of the small shuttle plane from Winnipeg, and saw a tumbleweed tumbling (what else?) down the runway. Cold, windy, not a lot of snow left on the ground.
Roads looked like they were rolled, not plowed -- on a side street, I dug through four inches of hard pack before I found asphalt.
Snow in the training area was deep in the hollows, but swept away in the open. Lots of work for the recovery crews.
Cold and Hot. No other way to describe it. Apartment owners proud to point out that both block heat plug-ins and air conditioning were included. Eighty degree temp swing between January and July.
A few fun bars in Brandon, good concerts in Brandon and the ‘peg. Riding Mountain park. Good unit hockey. It‘s a small town, not Toronto - for better and worse. A real fish bowl -- talk to the same woman twice in the Canex, and everyone assumes you‘re together. And watch where you park your car in the Qs - you might start a rumour.
Overall? Excellent posting where you can get down to the business of soldiering. I worked with great people, lived in the shacks, and came away with a great impression of the artillery. Not of all artillery officers, but of most. Had an excellent CO and bty comd. Also had a wishy-washy BC and one I was glad was at the end of my tour.
Never regretted choosing to go to Shilo. Yes, I was given the choice. Glad I made the right one.