Provincial Commissioner St. John Council for Ontario

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Provincial Commissioner St. John Council for Ontario

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09/15/2026

At OPP Commissioner Carrique's invitation, I had the pleasure of accompanying him along with several of his Deputies, travelling together and joining regional staff at Fort William (in Thunder Bay), at the OPP's North West Regional Awards Ceremony on September 15th.
The weather turned out to quite fair, making for a pleasant flight over the Great Lakes. Flying from Orillia to Thunder Bay and back, a most efficient day's visit.
A special day, celebrating service, bravery and lifesaving efforts by Officers, support staff and the community at large in this Region.
Congratulations to all those that performed above and beyond the call of duty receiving OPP Commissioner's Commendations and/or St. John Ambulance Life Saving Citations and pins for their extraordinary contributions, their bravery or for their heroic acts in performing First Aid to those in need within their communities.
A full house of Officers, Civilians and Families were present to witness the numerous presentations and the reading of many citations with no fewer than 25 Citations for Bravery.

09/10/2026

I would like to thank SJA Midwestern Region for inviting me to their Regional Awards and Recognition Evening on Wednesday September 9, 2026 in Hanover.
Special thanks to Patrick and Karen and the rest of the organizers for putting this event together! Thank you Beth for sharing your photos. It was nice to meet some of your Regional Board members and recognize your volunteers together.
Your Region continues to grow with active MFR and Therapy Dog Units providing over 15,000 service hours last year.
Special congratulations to Sheila, receiving her Citation and Serving Member of St. John (MStJ) medal during this evening.
Midwestern Region members - Thank you for sharing your evening with me and making me feel most welcome.

09/04/2026

At the invitation of the Ontario Honours and Awards Secretariat from the Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism for the Province of Ontario, I joined the Honorable Member of our Provincial Legislature, Stephanie Smyth (Toronto-St. Paul's), as a guest speaker at the Toronto Region - Ontario Volunteer Service Awards Ceremony. It was held on September 3rd at the Toronto Reference Library - Bram and Bluma Appel Salon. I had the opportunity of delivering a motivational speech on the Power of Volunteerism to address several hundred local recipients receiving Ontario Volunteer Service Pins for their volunteer service to their community. Among them, I was delighted to join several members from Toronto Region's St. John Therapy Dog Unit receiving OVSA pins for their service.
Congratulations to Chistine/Leah, Joanne/Louis, Briar/Coda and Christine/(Daizy, her partner who has recently passed) for their years of faithful service as Therapy Dog members of Toronto Region. Congrats to Mark and Barb for their support for our SJA Toronto Region Recipients!

09/02/2026

As we inch our way towards the Labour Day Long Weekend, I hope that everyone was able to find time to enjoy the summer, reconnect with nature, reconnect with family and friends all while continuing to serve your communities across this great province.

As Commissioner, my calendar has been quiet this past summer; but I see that things are about to change with several events in my horizon. I look forward to meeting many of our Community Service Volunteers in the coming year. Be Well, be Safe, and be Prepared!

Speaking of preparedness - do you like that transition? ;-) I hope that everyone is familiar with OMFRC, the SJA - Ontario Medical First Response Competition? Our annual Provincial Event this year is on Saturday October 17th at The Toronto Zoo in Scarborough!

As Vice-Chair of the event, this is our biggest event of the year with 28 teams from across the province coming together with the help of a large 'village' of volunteers. We are always looking for volunteers to help make this event possible. We are focused on finding sufficient qualified and experienced judges for our AMFR and Professional categories, while always searching for eager casualty volunteers - with many other roles available too! To our delight, we've already attracted the interest of many SJA Qualified Casualty Simulators this year. If you are a member of St. John and able to help us out, consider registering your interest at: http://Volunteer.OMFRC.ca

06/12/2026

I had the privilege of returning to the Region after having visited last June; present for SJA Niagara Region's Awards Dinner this evening (Thursday June 11, 2026).
Car Seat Safety, Medical First Response, Therapy Dog, Fellowship and Branch Instructors and staff all coming together for an evening of member recognition.
Thank you Niagara Region for having me back, one year after attending my first event as newest SJA Ontario's Commissioner of Community Services.
Receiving Commissioner's Coins in appreciation, I'd like to congratulate George and Barb for over 90 years of combined First Aid Instruction in the Region and Fort Erie in particular. Similarly, congratulations to Laurie and Peter for all of their work supporting their Region.
For those receiving PVOT and Priory St. John Life Saving Certificates; I thank you for your service; your community thanks you.
I was touched to be present and witness one of our first Therapy Dog "In Memoriam" Medallions be presented to Pauline on behalf of Sadie. A short life for such a LARGE dog with an even LARGER heart for whom she touched so many in the years she was able to be a St. John Therapy Dog.
Thank you Sean, Adam and your Regional team for your support and for making me feel so welcome in Niagara.... again, back in Niagara as I begin my second year!
Congratulations to all in Niagara Region!

06/11/2026

As I was planning to be in the Niagara Region this week, at the request of the SJA Niagara Regional Chair, I was asked if I could make an extra stop. This evening (Wednesday June 10th), I took the opportunity to visit the 87th Eagle Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron (RCACS) in Fenwick, Ontario, just outside of Welland to make a surprise visit to the Squadron to represent St. John Priory of Canada and present a St. John Ambulance Life Saving Certificate.
It was a Gold Level 'At Personal Risk to self' Certificate and Pin, being presented to (Cadet Sergeant) Taidyn.
With his proud father present, despite being a non uniform night, Taidyn was asked to arrive in uniform for some 'photos the Squadron needed', before changing into casual cloths afterwards. He was unaware that I was about to walk in on their Squadron to present him with a Life Saving Certificate that had been applied for in his name.
With his Squadron present, I read aloud the citation of the heroic actions taken to save the life of a community member on his way home from school in May 2026.
As a member of one of 87 RCACS's First Aid Teams that have competed at our OMFRC Regional and Provincial competitions in past, I decided to thank him personally, as Commissioner, with a Commissioner's Coin 'In Appreciation' for his ongoing training and his selfless actions. I look forward to meeting Taidyn this fall at our OMFRC Provincial Competition in Scarborough on October 17th.

06/07/2026

Congratulations to all the recipients of awards, service medals and service bars; to our six newest Grand Prior's Badge recipients and to all those inducted into and/or promoted within The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem on what became a wonderful sunny afternoon on Saturday June 6, 2026 at St. James Cathedral in Toronto, Ontario.

The Honourable Edith Dumont, the 30th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and Vice-Prior to The Order of St. John for Ontario, Laurie Anderson, our 26th Chancellor of the Priory of Canada and Robert White, Bailiff Grand Cross of The Order of Saint John, presided over the ceremony today.

It was a pleasure to be reacquainted with so many individuals that I have had the chance to meet in my travels across Ontario this past year as Commissioner, Community Services for St. John in Ontario. Your service to St. John and the communities for which we serve was certainly highlighted today. Well Done All!

06/04/2026

I would like to thank SJA Peel-Dufferin Region for inviting me to their Regional Awards and Recognition Dinner on Wednesday June 3, 2026 in Streetsville Mississauga. It was wonderful to see the support of Regional Lion's Club representatives, City Councillors and the Mayor of Mississauga, Her Worship Mayor Carolyn Parish for joining us for the evening. Her Worship provided kind words of support and appreciation - best summed up by her reference to 'feeling safe' when she attends her many public events, seeing St. John Ambulance members in their uniforms providing complementary MFR and Therapy Dog services.
Special thanks to Mark and Taylor and the rest of the organizers of the evening for putting this event together! It was very nice to see so many of your Regional Board members present to recognize your many uniformed volunteers. I appreciated chatting with Angeline, Andrew and Garry, along with several other Regional Board members.
Your Region continues to grow with very active MFR and Therapy Dog Units providing thousands of public service hours annually - visiting over 100 institutions with Therapy Dogs and providing MFR services to over 150 venues last year in Peel-Dufferin.
Special congratulations to Judy, receiving a Commissioner Challenge Coin of Appreciation for her ongoing service to her Region over the last thirty years in a variety of leadership roles.
Peel-Dufferin SJA Regional members - Thank you for sharing your evening with me.

06/03/2026

At the invitation of their Unit Coordinator, I had the pleasure of attending Y1192 York East Youth Unit's Annual Inspection in Markham, Ontario on Tuesday June 2, 2026.
It was with great pride that I looked on, now as Commissioner of Community Services for Ontario Council of St. John, experiencing many 'flash backs' during the evening of my early days as a Cadet, a Crusader, a Divisional Officer and Divisional Superintendent (Unit Coordinator) in Scarborough as a member of 405 Scarborough Cadets. As a Grand Prior's Recipient myself, I was pleased to see several worn on parade and hear that there may be several more recipients in the near future. It was also very nice to see the St. John Cadet Flag being paraded with the Unit.
I was pleased to meet my Aides-de-camp for the evening, a Cadet Leader with Y1192; sharing that I once shared that rank with her in my youth - only to see her later that night receive her promotion to that of a Unit Officer. Congratulations Audrey.
Congratulations to all the members present that evening. Without diminishing anyone's achievements that night, I must again give a 'shout out' to Nina, who received numerous awards and recognitions. Westley also stood out, one for being one of the tallest on parade (LOL) and second, for also receiving several well earned awards. I look forward to seeing Westley and Nina compete this fall at the OMFRC Provincial Competitions.
It was obvious that the members of Y1192 are very much a supportive family, sharing respect for each other and respect for The Most Venerable Order of Saint John.
Thank you Isaac for your invitation.
Thank you to the members of D1050 Markville, Y1278 Richmond Hill and the leadership of York-Simcoe-Muskoka Region for supporting Y1192's special evening.

05/29/2026

At OPP Commissioner Carrique's invitation, I had the pleasure of accompanying him, travelling together and joining his regional staff at the North Grenville Municipal Centre in Kemptville, at the OPP's Eastern Region Awards Ceremony on May 28th.
It was a very pleasant clear weather day, making the brief flight over the Kawarthas a bonus for me, flying from Orillia to Ottawa.
A special day, celebrating service, bravery and lifesaving efforts by Officers, support staff and the community at large in this Region.
Congratulations to all those that performed above and beyond the call of duty receiving OPP Commissioner's Commendations and/or St. John Ambulance Life Saving Citations and pins for their extraordinary contributions, their bravery or for their heroic acts in performing First Aid to those in need within their communities.
Over 150 Officers, Civilians and Families were present to witness the numerous presentations and the reading of many citations.

Address

15 Toronto Street
Toronto, ON
M5C2E3

Telephone

+14169238411

Website

http://www.sja.ca/

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