Southern Alberta Division
Commissionaires Southern Alberta is one of 17 member Divisions of Commissionaires, Canada's premiere security services provider. The Southern Alberta Division was established in 1937 with only seven commissionaires as staff. Today, over 1600 dedicated commissionaires work out of five primary locations-Calgary, Red Deer, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat and CFB Suffield. We proudly serve all communities in the southern Alberta region, and it is the combination of our national strength, as well as our home-grown western Canadian ideals that ensure our clients are provided with first-class security solutions and ‘old-fashioned' customer service. Our commissionaires have been protecting the neighbourhoods we call home for over 70 years, and it is this classic approach to modern security demands that has made us Southern Alberta's most trusted security partner.
Commissionaires Southern Alberta Offices
Calgary, Regional Head Office
Lethbridge, 3rd Ave South
Red Deer, 50th Ave
Colonel Steve Gagnon, MEng
Interim CEO, Commissionaires Southern Alberta
Steve Gagnon, a retired Colonel became the Chief Executive Officer of Commissionaires Southern AB division in May 2012. Prior to his appointment as CEO, Mr. Gagnon was the organization’s Chief Operating Officer for more than two years, after officially retiring from the Canadian Forces in 2006.
In addition to his extensive involvement with Commissionaires Southern AB, Mr. Gagnon has also served in several prominent positions, including being appointed the Director of J6 Coordination from 2001 and 2002, where he managed national Communications and Informational Systems during the September 11th attacks, Operational Apollo, and the G8 Summit in Kananaskis.
In 2002 he was appointed Director – Directorate of Distributed Computing Engineering and Integration and served as the Deputy Commander of the Communication Reserves in 2003 and 2004. Prior to becoming the J6 in the newly formed Canada Command, Mr. Gagnon served in the Directorate of Information Management Requirements, first as Deputy-Director and then as analyst for the Command and Control Systems projects.
Mr. Gagnon was born in Clinton, ON but grew up in Quebec. After enrolling in College Militaire Royal de St. Jean, he graduated in 1979 with a Bachelors of Science in Physics where he was awarded the Minister of National Defence Sword of Honour for best all-round cadet in his graduating class. He continued his military education and completed his British Army Technical Staff Course (1988) and the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College (1994).
In 1992, Mr. Gagnon participated in the initial set up of the United Nations’ Force Headquarters as Major-General Lewis MacKenzie’s Staff Officer in the former Yugoslavia and later in the deployment of Sector Sarajevo, where he was recognized for bravery during his service.
After several junior field appointments with Quartier-Général et Escadron des Transmissions du 5e Groupe-Brigade du Canada, among others, and completing his military parachutist’s course and Combat Team Commander’s Course, Mr. Gagnon shifted focus and obtained his M. Eng in Engineering Management from the University of Ottawa.
Before pursuing his Advanced Military Studies Course (1999), Mr. Gagnon transferred to the reserves in 1997 and accepted a civilian job in Calgary, Alberta as Program Manager with Computing Devices Canada. During his tenure with the Reserves, Mr. Gagnon was promoted to Colonel in 1999 where he served as Communications Reserve Advisor for nearly three years, of which he also acted as the Canadian Contingent Commander and Chief, Plans and Operations for MONUC, the UN mission in the Congo.
Mr. Gagnon’s impressive military experience also includes a variety of staff appointments, including Officer Training Instructor, Systems Engineer for a Major Crown Project, Project Manager, Army Communications Requirements Officer and finally Project Director for the Tactical Command, Control and Communications System. In his role as Project Director, Mr. Gagnon lead a major change to the prime contract to adjust the equipment mix to better reflect post Cold War realities.
An avid downhill skier and rock climber, Mr. Gagnon also holds a black belt in Judo. His community volunteer commitments include serving as a Lake Louise Ski Friend and treasurer on his condominium management board.