Where to learn survival skills in or near Toronto?

July 2, 2023 3:53 AM

I want to learn some survival skills. This is deliberately broad - it could mean anything from gardening, preserving food, advanced first aid, wilderness survival… I just want to feel more equipped to survive a natural disaster or societal collapse, and to be a more confident, self sufficient person in general. What would you recommend?
posted by anonymous to Education (12 answers total)

Both St. John’s and the Red Cross have a wilderness first aid course.

TRCA has naturalist courses - not survival but they can make you feel great outdoors.

Canadian Bushcraft is Indigenous-owned - I haven’t done any of their classes but have heard good things. They’re in Hiawatha First Nation near Peterborough.
posted by warriorqueen at 4:12 AM on July 2, 2023

https://torontourbangrowers.org/organizations
posted by Elysum at 5:08 AM on July 2, 2023

I always liked Lofty Wiseman’s The SOS Survival Handbook. - amongst other practical details (and there really are some) it cautioned me that, should I kill a polar bear, I should avoid eating it’s liver.
posted by rongorongo at 6:25 AM on July 2, 2023

A survivalist was interviewed on the wireless here at lunchtime yesterday. Exec summary: there's not a lot of meat on a squirrel. Three small things will make your bush life much easier:
+ 115dB pea-less whistle
+ butane pipe-lighter
+ knife [mine's an Opinel #10]
there will be room in your pocket for 5m of 5mm paracord
posted by BobTheScientist at 6:37 AM on July 2, 2023

I would teach myself how to light a fire with a clear plastic bag of water and some crumbly tinder. You can use some eyeglass prescriptions to focus the sun like this, too. I like this one because I can imagine a future where it becomes hard to find a lighter but we’ll still have lots of discarded clear plastic bags blowing around.

You can also build a still in the dirt or sand with some old plastic sheeting, and get clean water that way, too.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 7:23 AM on July 2, 2023

I've spent my life waiting for that shoe to drop. Learning to live with nothing, eat less, live for the moment and fall asleep in uncomfortable situations has helped me feel a little more prepared for whatever may come. But nothing has made me feel more secure than my efforts to connect with my neighbors and my community.

The only thing that matters when things fall apart is that you are not alone. You need other people.

There's no reason not to start learning to build a fire and grow food from seeds and make your own shelter. But your skills will only take you so far if you're alone.

The very best survival skills are social skills. Connect with people. Surround yourself with people who are happy to come together and support each other when the going gets rough.
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 8:02 AM on July 2, 2023

for a little extra ephemeral piece-of-mind you can carry a survival text on your phone. there's app versions like this Offline Survival Manual for Android devices and/or you could find a e-book survival text in your preferred format and keep it saved.
posted by glonous keming at 8:20 AM on July 2, 2023

Universal survival skill for disaster, societal collapse, and everyday late-stage capitalism: learning how to repair and maintain things. All kind of things, from machines to shoes. Spend time using tools, including fixing things when you haven't got the correct tools or experience, so you learn how to improvise and get creative with what is available, and gain familiarity with various things to give experience and confidence attempting new things.

Nomatter what happens in the future, you will always be surrounded by either a global technological civilization or the remnants of one.
posted by Cusp at 10:24 AM on July 2, 2023

I'd recommend the remote / wilderness first aid courses from the Red Cross. I took mine many years ago, but it was great.
1) First aid is a useful skill in any circumstance
2) There were two outdoor day trips with different scenarios, including the chance to be a leader and direct multiple people giving aid.
posted by Superilla at 10:40 AM on July 2, 2023

Look at developing skills around going off grid, by which I mean setting up your own solar panels rather than going incommunicado.
posted by biffa at 11:12 AM on July 2, 2023

The very best survival skills are social skills. Connect with people. Surround yourself with people who are happy to come together and support each other when the going gets rough.

This is true, but courses that teach skills are social and also do give you a sense that you can respond. I’ve found first aid in particular very powerful - and over the pandemic I did find someone who needed help on a trail by my house; I didn’t have to administer any first aid but I knew to call 911 (he was passed out but breathing, bad skin colour and cold as he’d been there overnight; we got a coat on him, his breathing got worse and the EMTs loaded him up pretty quick. Nothing I needed certification for but I’d re-certed in both CPR and mental health first aid and it just…felt better.)

Obviously YMMV. But just saying, you can have both social skills and first aid and other skills, and for some of us disaster thinkers, learning is a very positive step.
posted by warriorqueen at 12:35 PM on July 2, 2023

I watched all of Jessie Krebs's wilderness survival episodes on Masterclass across several Delta flights and they're so incredibly informative yet accessible. I am not outdoorsy at all and I felt like I could easily do and remember everything she was saying. And she is just a delight to watch as an instructor, she's so cheerful and calm and reassuring. I still think about them a lot and would like to rewatch and take copious notes. Highly recommend if you're looking for something you can easily do at home or to add onto or supplement an in-person class.
posted by anderjen at 10:20 AM on July 3, 2023