Having a job is an important step for Canadian veterans facing the daunting challenge of reintegrating to society, said officials with Commissionaires, a private security company.
The international organization opened a Sudbury location six weeks ago in the Rainbow Centre to provide just that - jobs - for qualified veterans. Only 30 per cent of veterans earn full pensions when they retire from the Canadian Forces, with the average length of service being only 11.5 years, stated recent research by public polling firm Nanos.
“This means that most veterans must pursue new employment opportunities after they retire from military service to make ends meet,” stated a Commissionaires release.
“That's why Commissionaires was founded in 1925 (in Canada) with the social mandate to provide meaningful employment for vets. Since then we've hired tens of thousands of former Canadian Forces personnel,” said Paul Guidon, chairman.
The organization was founded in 1958 in Britain by Captain Edward Walter, a retired officer of the Crimean War. The corps were founded to help veterans make the difficult transition back to civilian life and employment.
Today, Commissionaires provides security services for government and private sector sites. Digital and ink fingerprinting is also available for use in securing pardons, name changes, employment, visas, and citizenship applications.
Sudbury office hires local veterans
“We hire those (locally) who have served in the military or RCMP,” said Randy Crisp, Commissionaires area manager and administrator. He was an RCMP officer for 33 years in Saskatchewan and Ottawa, before retiring and joining the organization.
Greater Sudbury resident François Brisson, a former firefighter in the Canadian air force, is a civil engineering technician and now works for Commissionaires. He is the identification services agent, in charge of the fingerprinting service for Commissionaires.
Fingerprints are required for various work reasons, and are taken at the Commissionaires office and sent to the RCMP. If the person has no criminal record, a police clearance can be obtained in as little as 48 hours. If they do, it can take longer, especially if the offense took place in another province, as court records may have to be accessed from the province in question.
Employees, like Brisson, go through a selection process before they are hired.
“Veterans are assessed for whether their skills meet the need of the clients (for a particular contract). Sometimes it does not always work out but we do give preference to those who have served. It is our mandate,” said Crisp.
“We have hired 53 staff from Greater Sudbury, 28 of whom are veterans, including one member of the RCMP,” said Crisp, while explaining that not all staff are former military or police.
“Sometimes, when we take over a security contract, provisions are made to keep on those staff who are ordinary people. This happened when we took over the security contract for the Rainbow Centre.”
Commissionaires re-invests 95 per cent of its revenues back into its employees, said the organization's website.
Pardon Me
A new service being offered by Commissionaires is assistance with obtaining pardons, a service that can be obtained at a reasonable cost, depending on what is involved.
“People don't know where to go for pardons. The paperwork can be daunting,” said Bert Kemp, Commissionaires business operations manager, northern region.
“Having a criminal record can affect a person's life,” explained Kemp. Employment, travel outside Canada and even volunteering for some organizations can be affected if a person has a criminal record.
“Volunteering at your child's school could be affected by a criminal record," warned Kemp.
"At the Canadian border, officials there have full discretion over whether they will let a person cross. A pardon may help,” added Crisp.
For more information about the services offered by Commissionaires, visit 40 Elm St., Unit 102A. They are open Monday to Friday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., and can be reached by phone at 673-2005 or e-mail at fbrisson@commissionaires-ottawa.on.ca.
