March 25th, 2024
Each year, the Commissionaires Nova Scotia Veterans’ Support Committee donates to veteran organizations. This is in line with our social mandate to support veterans in need. Here’s where the money was spent in fiscal 2023-2024:
HMCS Sackville – $1000
Now a Naval Memorial and National Historic Site, HMCS Sackville is a combat veteran of the Second World War. She is the last of Canada’s 123 corvettes, one of many convoy escort vessels built in Canada and the United Kingdom during the war. She played a pivotal role in winning the Battle of the Atlantic and holds a special place in Canadian naval history and heritage.
HMCS Sackville has been restored to her war configuration and is home to exhibits and artifacts dedicated to the legacy of those who served at sea during the Battle of the Atlantic.
Shearwater Aviation Museum – $1000
The Shearwater Aviation Museum is home to tens of thousands of aviation artifacts. This collection includes uniforms, insignia, ceremonial items, tools and equipment, photographs, documents, and an extensive art gallery.
Royal Canadian Legion – $2000
The Legion is Canada’s largest veteran and community service organization. Membership includes currently serving and retired Canadian Armed Forces and Royal Canadian Mounted Police members, as well as their mothers and fathers, spouses, sons and daughters, and grandchildren. The Legion advocates for the care and benefits for all who served Canada, regardless of when or where they served.
VETS Canada – $1000
VETS Canada began in 2010 as a grassroots movement when Jim Lowther realized fellow veterans were slipping through the cracks. These veterans had lost their families and were experiencing homelessness. Jim and his wife, Debbie, formed a small team in Halifax, NS to seek out and help homeless and at-risk veterans reintegrate into civilian life. VETS Canada exists solely to help Canadian veterans. Whatever the need, veterans can reach out in confidence and VETS Canada will answer.
Army Museum – $1000
Since 1953, the Army Museum Halifax Citadel has fascinated and inspired thousands of visitors from around the world. Housed in an actual military fortress, the museum tells the powerful and compelling stories of the soldiers of Nova Scotia. No detail is spared – from the munitions and medals to the displays of service and sacrifice. The Army Museum is the story of a nation.
Paws Fur Thought – $1000
Medric Cousineau co-founded Paws Fur Thought in 2013 after being paired with his service dog, Thai, whom Medric credits for saving his life. Today, Paws Fur Thought is a not-for-profit Service Dog Provider that pairs canine companions with Military and RCMP Veterans diagnosed with OSI/PTSD as a result of their military or policing careers.
Paws Fur Thought is proud to be one of the service dog providers recognized as part of the Wounded Warriors Service Dog Program.
RCMP Veterans Association – $2000
The Nova Scotia division has one of the largest active memberships in the country, with almost 100 RCMP veterans. The members work together to support local charities and community activities across the province. They also assist members with a disability and support surviving family members following the death of a member or their immediate family.
Veterans Farm Project Society – $1000
Based in Windsor, NS, the Veteran Farm Project Society is a not-for-profit farm that seeks to ease food insecurity and provide a safe and enriching space for veterans, mainly women. It was started in 2018 by married couple and military veterans Jessica Miller and Steve Murgatroyd as a way to keep themselves busy after retiring. The farm now supports dozens of families each year.