The Commissionaires are Canada’s largest private sector employer of veterans with 22,000 men and women who serve in 1,200 communities across Canada. Veterans of the CAF and RCMP account for 4,500 of their employees, and serve at all levels from security guard to CEO. They provide outstanding modern security services to federal and provincial facilities, municipalities, police services, air and seaports, private sector organizations including utilities and commercial buildings, and homes across the country. Commissionaires Victoria, the Islands and Yukon (CVIY) is a private security company providing fully integrated security services to over 200 government and commercial clients in our market. As a not-for-profit company, CVIY returns over 90% of its revenues back to the commissionaires it serves.
LCol (Ret’d) Adele Donaldson and Capt (RCN) (Ret’d) Gary Paulson gave this presentation on Wednesday, April 12, 2023.
LCol (Ret) Adele Donaldson joined the Board of Governors of Commissionaires Victoria, the Islands and Yukon (CVIY) in 2015, assuming the role of Chair from 2019 until the end of 2021. She is currently the Past Chair and continues to serve on several committees in support of the local, as well as the national organization. Over her 34-year career as a logistics officer she acquired specialties in finance, supply, and transportation, and held various positions. Highlights of her career include: a tour in Kosovo and tactical assistance visits to Afghanistan; Chief Contracts Officer for Canadian Forces Operational Support Command- serving all of Canada’s deployed operations; the Base Commander and ACOS Support for Joint Task Force North in Yellowknife NWT; contracts officer for the 2010 Olympics as a member of Joint Task Force Games; and a student at the Norwegian Staff College in Oslo Norway.
Captain Gary Paulson joined CVIY as CEO in September 2016. CVIY provides 24/7 full-service security services for government and commercial clients which includes: Threat Risk Assessments, Security Consulting, Guarding, CCTV installation and other technology solutions, live video monitoring, mobile patrol and response, cash delivery services, criminal record and background checks and HomeWatch. CVIY has over 800 fulltime and part time Commissionaires, and as part of the National Corps of Commissionaires, is the largest private employer of veterans in Canada.
Prior to joining the CVIY team, Gary was the VP Operations and Harbour Master of the Prince Rupert Port Authority from 2006 to 2016. He served as part of the Port’s Executive team which oversaw the introduction of intermodal container operations and the rapid growth of the Port and the Prince Rupert gateway. Captain Paulson completed a 29-year career in the RCN retiring in October 2004. As a senior naval officer, he saw duty as the Executive Officer and Commanding Officer aboard HMCS HURON during the Persian Gulf conflict, in Command of the frigate CALGARY in the Adriatic, and the destroyer ALGONQUIN. In 2001 he commanded ALGONQUIN for Operation Apollo, in the war against terrorism where the ship received recognition for its capture of suspected Al-Qaeda terrorists in the Arabian Gulf.
Staff appointments included Deputy Chief of Staff for Maritime Operations at Maritime Pacific Headquarters in Esquimalt and the Fleet Exercise Officer on the staff of the US Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Gary is a graduate of the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College in Toronto and the Royal Roads University MBA program in Victoria, BC.
