Commissionaires Victoria, the Islands and Yukon (CVIY) Appoints new Chief Executive Officer (2016)

Commissionaires Victoria, the Islands and Yukon (CVIY) today announced the appointment of Gary Paulson as its new CEO effective September 15, 2016.

Gary spent the past ten years as the Vice President Operations and Harbour Master for the Port of Prince Rupert. He succeeds John Dewar who was the divisional CEO for the past four years.

“On behalf of the Board of Governors and all Commissionaires, I welcome Gary to the Canadian Corps of the Commissionaires,” said Major General Ed Fitch, the Chair of the CVIY Board of Governors. “His combined military, port security and private sector business experience will support our strategic goals and social mandate of providing meaningful employment to veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces and former members of the RCMP.

Gary holds an MBA degree from Royal Roads University where he specialized in Executive Management. He is also a graduate of the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College in Toronto.

He has over 35 years of proven leadership and expertise in the marine industry, both as a Naval Officer and senior Port Executive. He joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 1975 and retired at the rank of Captain (N) in 2004. During his career with the RCN, he commanded Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships Huron, Calgary and Algonquin. In 2006, Gary joined the Prince Rupert Port Authority as VP Operations and Harbour Master. During that time, he accomplished the launch of the Port’s state-of-the-art Security and Operations Centre and established the port’s Environmental Stewardship program in collaboration with the Coast Tsimshian First Nations. As part of the Port’s Executive team, Gary led all commercial shipping, marine safety and port security and emergency planning operations and activities for the Port.  During his tenure, Prince Rupert became the fastest-growing container port in North America.

“I’m pleased to lead CVIY in our mission to provide tailored security solutions to our clients, promote workforce professionalism, and maintain an environment of trust and value for our employees, our business partners and customers, said Mr. Paulson

About Commissionaires

Commissionaires is Canada’s premier security provider and the largest private sector employer of Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP veterans. Founded on the core military values of dedication, responsibility and sense of mission, it employs 21,000 people from coast to coast to coast. The completely self-funding, not-for-profit organization generates more than $500M in annual revenue, of which approximately 95% is returned to its employees in the form of wages and benefits. 

About CVIY

CVIY is one of the fifteen autonomous divisions making up the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires and operates throughout Vancouver Island, Haida Gwaii and the Yukon. It is headquartered in Victoria, BC and has 1,000 employees, most of whom are veterans of the Canadian Forces and RCMP. We are a values-based organization with a mission to bring peace of mind to our clients with well-trained, high-quality security professionals. 

To arrange for an interview, please contact:

Osaro Ezomo
Manager Business Development
Commissionaires Victoria, the Islands and Yukon (CVIY)
T 250 727 7755
[email protected]