The Salvation Army, Canada

The Salvation Army in Canada is an administrative unit of The Salvation Army that serves Canada and Bermuda. The territory is divided geographically into divisions – Alberta, Bermuda, British Columbia, Maritime, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario Central East, Ontario Great Lakes, Prairie, and Quebec. Each division is headed by a divisional commander, who is responsible to the National Commander. In turn, the National Commander is responsible to International Headquarters (IHQ) in London, England.

The Territorial Commander (TC) and Chief Secretary are appointed by the General. Their role is to oversee and administer the work of The Salvation Army within their territory. They are assisted by various other Secretaries (departmental heads) who are, in turn, responsible for overseeing their various branches of Army activity.

The Territorial Commander is responsible for the territory's overall operation and mission, and the Chief Secretary is responsible for the territory's administration and daily operations. Senior executive officers are, on the recommendation of the Territorial Commander, also appointed by the General. All other officer appointments within a territory are the responsibility of the Territorial Commander and the Cabinet.

The Salvation Army in Canada is a non-governmental direct provider of social services in the areas of homelessness, poverty and addiction, and a continuing support for programs in developing countries. In addition to mobile programs such as disaster relief, and homeless soup lines, the Salvation Army in Canada currently operates permanent facilities including corps community centers (churches), Social Services Centers, summer camps, Adult Rehabilitation Centers, and thrift stores.

1st Salvation Army meeting in Canada Plaque, Stayner's Wharf, Halifax, Nova Scotia

En route to England, George Scott Railton stopped at the port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and held the first Salvation Army meeting in Canada on March 24, 1881. He was so engaged in his sermon that he missed his boat to England. He preached in Halifax for the following week at various Halifax churches, and a year later, the Salvation Army was officially established in Canada.

The Salvation Army began operating in Canada in 1882. Brigadier Gideon Miller (1866-1949), Staff Architect for the Salvation Army in Canada from April 1906 until 1931, designed meeting halls (often called 'citadels'), hospitals and hostels in cities and towns across Canada.[3]

In 1886, only four years after it had come to Canada from England, the Salvation Army built its Territorial Headquarters for Canada and Bermuda. It also housed the Toronto Temple, built in 1886 and demolished in 1954.

Arnold Brown (December 13, 1913 – June 26, 2002), the 11th General of The Salvation Army (1977–1981), served as Territorial Commander in 1974. Brown compiled a history of the first 50 years of Salvation Army ministry in Canada, entitled What Hath God Wrought?.

The massed bands of the Salvation Army, Canada performed at Massey Hall in Toronto in 1910 In Memoriam King Edward VII

Canadian Sailors serving HMCS Toronto sort Hurricane Katrina disaster relief supplies at a Salvation Army warehouse

Like other Salvation Army brass bands, the Canadian (Canada and Bermuda) staff band, which is sponsored by a territorial headquarters, travels and records on a regular basis.

• Evangeline Booth served as the Territorial Commander of Canada from 1901 to 1904
• Clarence Wiseman (June 19, 1907 – May 4, 1985) was the 10th General of The Salvation Army from 1974 to 1977
• Arnold Brown (December 13, 1913 – June 26, 2002) was the 11th General of The Salvation Army from 1977 to 1981
• Danielle Strickland co-founded The War College in 2003 in Vancouver, British Columbia

• Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army
• Generals of The Salvation Army
• High Council of The Salvation Army
• Officer of The Salvation Army
• The Salvation Army
• Soldier of The Salvation Army

• Brown, Arnold What Hath God Wrought?: a history of the first 50 years of Salvation Army ministry in Canada. Toronto, Ontario, 1997
• Eason, Andrew M. Women in God's Army: Gender and Equality in the Early Salvation Army. Waterloo, Ontario, Canada: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2003. ISBN 0-88920-418-7
• Moyles, R. G. Blood And Fire in Canada: A History of the Salvation Army in the Dominion 1882-1976 (Ottawa, Ontario) Call Number Peake 361.M.11.0

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Salvation Army in Canada.

Wikisource has original text related to this article: Portal:Salvation Army

• The Salvation Army in Canada
• The Salvation Army Alberta Division
• The Salvation Army British Columbia Division
• The Salvation Army Maritime Division
• The Salvation Army Newfoundland and Labrador Division
• The Salvation Army Ontario Central-East Division
• The Salvation Army Ontario Great Lakes Division
• The Salvation Army Prairie Division
• The Salvation Army Quebec Division
• The Salvation Army: A Presentation by the Canadian War Museum
• Statistical Profile of Salvation Army in the USA and Canada at the Association of Religion Data Archives