Declan Bigras of Aylmer, Que., joined air cadets when he was 13 because he dreamt of flying fighter jets. While he got onto wait-lists, he wasn’t selected for that highly competitive program. But he did rise to second in command of the 211 Squadron in Ottawa. It was the best five years of his life, Bigras said. Now, at 19, he’s intent on joining the Canadian Armed Forces. But it’s taking some time. With the permission of his parents, he tried to sign up two years ago when he was 17. “It didn’t end up working out because the online system was very buggy back then,” Bigras said. “...