Our Story

Despite the economic boom following World War I, many disabled as well as fit veterans were unable to find steady jobs. Three veterans, P. Lawrence, A. Farthing and C.B. Strickland formed the Disabled Veterans Association (DVA), which sought to support their fellow former soldiers' attempts to find work. With the assistance of Lieutenant Colonel A Leslie Coote, this initiative evolved into the British Columbia Corps of Commissionaires, created in 1927 under the Society Act.

Like the DVA, Commissionaires BC gave preference to former military personnel. A unique feature of Commissionaires BC was that the commissionaires were members of the Society rather than the Governors (Trustees), as was the case in every other division of Commissionaires in Canada, a distinction that was to remain until 1996. Almost since its founding, Commissionaires BC has enjoyed varying degrees of affiliation and ongoing cooperation with the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires. As society has evolved over the decades, Commissionaires BC has changed with it to continue providing superior security services. It also continues to invite former military and police personnel but not exclusively.

Commissionaires Today

Commissionaires BC is one of 16 divisions located across Canada that form Commissionaires Canada, the largest, best-trained and most experienced provider of a broad range of security, identification, enforcement and training services in Canada today. Our 20,000 employees, predominately former military and RCMP personnel, serve local and national clients located coast to coast. Through our training and experience, we are uniquely equipped to deliver the highest standard of service, consistently and with integrity.

Commissionaires BC 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.