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A Long and Proud History of Service
Captain Edward Walter, a retired officer of the Crimean War, founded The Corps of Commissionaires in England in 1859 to help veterans make the difficult transition back to civilian life and employment.
In an effort to find jobs for these veterans, he convinced friends and acquaintances that the exemplary discipline, loyalty and dedication to service that veterans possessed could be put to excellent use in business. He succeeded in finding jobs for seven veterans and thereby launched the Corps of Commissionaires.
While Canada's Governor General proposed a Corps be formed in Canada after World War I, it wasn't until 1925, that Commissionaires was established with the opening of offices in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.
In the summer of 1937, Major General W.B.M. King, President of a reorganized Canadian Corps of Commissionaires, became aware of the necessity of establishing a Corps of Commissionaires in Halifax. Among the influential veterans in the city to reply to General King’s appeal was Lieutenant Colonel S.C. Oland, who served a Chairman of the meeting that led to the formation of the “H Division” of the Corps. At that meeting a Board of Governors was elected – LCol T.W. Powers (Adjutant), Maj W.C. Borrett (A/Adjutant and Secretary), Col A.N. Jones and Col L.M. MacKenzie. LCol S.C. Oland was the Divisions’ first Commandant and first Chairman of the Board.
The Halifax Division (which would become
the Nova Scotia Division in 1952) officially opened for
business on January 24, 1938 when Sgt Maj James Shiels, the
Division’s first Commissionaire, volunteered to assist LCol
Powers in operating the Division. From humble beginnings
when the Nova Scotia Division commenced operations with 20
Commissionaires, it has expanded to become the third largest
Division in Canada with approximately 1,700 employees. The
quality of its past and present members, and their strongly
held attributes of dependability, loyalty and trust are
among our organization's most highly valued assets. These
qualities, coupled with quality training, a dedicated Board
of Governors and supportive HQ staff, has enabled the Corps
to develop a range of quality services highly regarded in
the security industry.
By 1950, with the opening of the St. John's Newfoundland Division, Commissionaires was offering services from sea to sea.
And, by 1982, Commissionaires exceeded 10,000 employees, virtually doubling the strength of its British parent.
Today, Commissionaires employs over 19,000 employees with offices operating in all ten provinces and three territories.
In the early days of our organization, we primarily offered security services. However, with the advent of modern technology and more specialized, highly skilled staff, we are now offering a much broader range of services to more clients across Canada.
Commissionaires is not an agency of the federal or provincial governments. We are a private, self-supporting, not-for-profit organization, continuing a proud tradition that started more than a century and a half ago.
By operating in this manner, we are able to fulfill our original mandate of providing fair and meaningful work to ex-military personnel while providing our clients with quality service at competitive rates.
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About
Proud History
Commissionaires, an organization with a proud history.
This fascinating book covers the entire history of Commissionaires from 1925 to 1998. Available in English or French for $10.00. To purchase contact National Office or email national@commissionaires.ca.