Alberta
Red Deer Mayor Veer appointed Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of 41 Signal Regiment
November 30, 2020
Mayor Veer appointed Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel with the Canadian Armed Forces
(Red Deer, Alberta) – Nominated by the Commanding Officer of 41 Signal Regiment, and signed off by the Minister of National Defence; The City of Red Deer congratulates Mayor Tara Veer on her recent appointment to Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel by the Canadian Armed Forces in recognition of her work in the community, commitment to honouring military veterans, and local reservists.
“I am extremely honoured to have been given the distinguished appointment of Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel with the Canadian Military,” said Mayor Veer. “I am eager to serve in this position, in conjunction with my public duties. The sacrifices of our Canadian Armed Forces and the many veterans that served our country are what have allowed me to serve our community as Mayor. Past and present heroes in the Canadian Armed Forces have made our country what it is today. They are the reason for the freedoms Canadians enjoy today.”
“Mayor Veer has been a dedicated supporter of local troops and I know she will bring the to same dedication to our Squadrons in Edmonton and Calgary as well. I am delighted with her appointment as Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of 41 Signal Regiment and am excited about the enthusiasm and profile that she brings to this important role in the Canadian Army Reserve.”
Honorary Colonel Lloyd Lewis, 41 Signal Regiment
“Mayor Veer’s remarkable career and contributions to Red Deer will certainly be an inspiration to all of our soldiers with her demonstrated ‘service before self’, leadership, and boundless energy. The soldiers of 41 Signal Regiment are truly honoured to welcome Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel Veer to our ranks.”
Lieutenant-Colonel Steven Flavel, Commanding Officer, 41 Signal Regiment
Honoraries are a tradition going back more than a century in the Canadian Armed Forces. They are typically prominent private citizens who volunteer to act as advocates for their regiments, communities and guardians of regimental traditions and histories. The first Honorary Colonel appointment in Canada was that of Lieutenant-Colonel the Honorable J.M. Gibson, a Provincial Secretary in the Ontario Government. He was appointed as Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel to the 13th Battalion of Infantry in 1895.
Early in the 20th century in Canada, Sir Robert Borden described the practice of appointing Honoraries as “of greatest advantage to the Militia to be able to enlist the interest and sympathy of gentleman of position and wealth by connecting them to Regiments.”
That sentiment remains true today. The Honorary is seen to be the guardian of regimental traditions and history, promoting the regiment’s identity and ethos and being an advisor to the Commanding Officer on virtually all issues excluding operations.
“As an Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel, I will endeavor to foster ‘esprit de corps’ and support the 41 Signal Regiment and its leadership, and work to develop and strengthen the ties between our local military and communities, businesses, and industry throughout Alberta,” said Mayor Veer. “I will fulfill the responsibilities entrusted to me, which include providing a link between the local and provincial Squadrons and the community, and raise the public profile of the Regiment with utmost pride. Thank you to the Canadian Armed Forces for this honour.”
This honorary position builds upon and aligns with Mayor Veer’s role in the community as ambassador and advocate for the needs of the region.
“This is also a recognition for our community, and I share this with the people of Red Deer as I continue to advocate for the betterment of Red Deer for our citizens,” Mayor Veer continued.
The appointment is effective immediately, and is a three year term. A formal installation ceremony will be planned soon pending provincial health protocols.
41 Signal Regiment has squadrons in Red Deer, Edmonton and Calgary.
Click to learn more about the appointment process.
Click for more information about 41 Signal Regiment.
Six stories from local soldiers who have deployed internationally in the past year
Alberta
Meet Marjorie Mallare, a young woman with a leading role at one of Canada’s largest refineries
Marjorie Mallare at Imperial Oil’s Strathcona refinery.
Fr0m the Canadian Energy Centre
By Cody Ciona
Mallare manages an all-female team of engineers helping keep operations smooth and safe
As the utilities and hydroprocessing technical lead for Imperial Oil’s Strathcona Refinery near Edmonton, 32-year-old Marjorie Mallare and her team help ensure operations run smoothly and safely at one of Canada’s largest industrial facilities.
The exciting part, she says, is that all four engineers she leads are female.
It’s part of the reason Mallare was named one of ten Young Women in Energy award winners for 2025.
“I hope they realize how important the work that they do is, inspiring and empowering women, connecting women and recognizing women in our industry,” she says.
“That can be very pivotal for young women, or really any young professional that is starting off their career.”
Born and raised in the Philippines, Mallare and her family moved to Edmonton near the end of junior high school.
Living in the industrial heartland of Alberta, it was hard not to see the opportunity present in the oil and gas industry.
When she started post-secondary studies at the University of Alberta in the early 2010s, the industry was booming.
“The amount of opportunities, at least when I started university, which was around 2011, was one of the high periods in our industry at the time. So, it was definitely very attractive,” Mallare says.
When choosing a discipline, engineering stood out.
“At the time, chemical engineering had the most number of females, so that was a contributing factor,” she says.
“Just looking at what’s available within the province, within the city, chemical engineering just seemed to offer a lot more opportunities, a lot more companies that I could potentially work for.”
Through work co-ops in oil and gas, her interest in a career in the industry continued to grow.
“It just kind of naturally happened. That drew my interest more and more, and it made it easier to find future opportunities,” Mallare says.
Following a work practicum with Imperial Oil and graduation, she started working with the company full time.
On the side, Mallare has also driven STEM outreach programs, encouraging young women to pursue careers in engineering.
In addition to supporting the Strathcona Refinery’s operations department, Mallare and her team work on sustainability-focused projects and reducing the refinery’s carbon footprint.
The 200,000 barrel per day facility represents about 30 per cent of Western Canada’s refining capacity.
“Eventually, our group will also be responsible for running the new renewable diesel unit that we’re planning to commission later this year,” says Mallare.
Once completed, the $720 million project will be the largest renewable diesel facility in Canada, producing more than one billion litres of biofuel annually.
Projects like these are why Mallare believes Canada will continue to be a global energy leader.
“We’re leading others already with regards to pursuing more sustainable alternatives and reducing our carbon footprints overall. That’s not something we should lose sight of.”
Below are my updated charts through April 2025 along with the cumulative data starting in October 2024. As you can see, central and southern Alberta are trending quite dry, while the north appears to be faring much better. However, even there, the devil is in the details. For instance, in Grande Prairie the overall precipitation level appears to be “normal”, yet in April it was bone dry and talking with someone who was recently there, they described it as a dust bowl. In short, some rainfall would be helpful. These next 3 months are fairly critical.
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