The AVGP variants were introduced into Canadian service in the late 1970s. Intended for use only in Canada, they were pressed into service for several United Nations missions, including UNPROFOR and the mission to Somalia. One Grizzly was captured by Serb forces in the late 1990s, despite it being present on a peace keeping mission.
The Cougar was used for training in Canada as a reconnaissance vehicle. During the 1980s and 1990's it was used by armored units as a tank substitute, for those units not equipped with the Leopard tank
The squadrons equipped with the Cougar in those regiments were humorously referred to as the "boat squadron" as opposed to the reconnaissance squadrons which were equipped with the Lynx, and later the Coyote (another AVGP successor).
The Grizzly was used as an armoured personnel carrier in regular force infantry battalions not equipped with the M113 APC, and also by reserve units. The majority of vehicles had their marine propulsion systems removed. Under the Wheeled LAV Life Extension project, the Canadian Forces planned to convert Grizzly and Husky vehicles to support variants such as Command Post and Mobile Repair Team Vehicle. However, the project was cancelled in 2005, and the vehicles retired. [6][7][10]
In May 2007, the Edmonton Police Service accepted the donation of a disarmed Grizzly from the Canadian Army.[11]
In March 2010, the Canadian Army donated two disarmed Cougar AVGPs to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in British Columbia for use by the Emergency Response Team.[citation needed] They were retrofitted to transport ERT assault teams into hazardous areas where transport in unarmored vehicles would not be safe.
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