The Commissionaires History

Captain Edward Walter, a retired officer of the Crimean War, founded The Corps of Commissionaires in England in 1859 to help veterans make the difficult transition back to civilian life and employment.

In an effort to find jobs for these veterans, he convinced friends and acquaintances that the exemplary discipline, loyalty and dedication to service that veterans possessed could be put to excellent use in business. He succeeded in finding jobs for seven veterans and thereby launched The Corps of Commissionaires. By 1860, the Corps had grown to 89 members and was attracting favourable public attention. The Corps continued to grow through the years, and today enjoys a well-deserved reputation for service and efficiency.

The Corps of Commissionaires was established in Canada in 1925, when branches were formed in Vancouver, Montreal & Toronto. The Canadian Corps of Commissionaires is now represented in every province - seventeen divisions employ more than 19,000 men and women. National Office is located in Ottawa and provides policy direction to all Divisions.

The Hamilton Division commenced operations in April 1937. During the Second World War, Hamilton had 40 to 50 men employed as Commissionaires. These men consisted of First World War Veterans and demobilized members of the Veterans' Guard of Canada. In 1946, a letter from the Board Chairman was widely circulated to prospective employers. The results were rewarding and an office was opened downtown in Hamilton's historic Lister Building. In May 1982 larger quarters were required and the division moved to the Imperial Building, another of Hamilton's historic addresses. Following a fire and explosion in March 1997 the Division relocated to Burlington where it remained headquartered until April 2004. This date marked the return of the Hamilton Division to the place of its' birth and ended some geographical confusion. Today the Division employs over 350 Commissionaires in 11 different municipalities in a wide variety of positions. The Hamilton Division was recognized by the local business community by being awarded the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Award in 2007.