Priory Council (Board of Directors)

Priory Council oversees St. John Ambulance in Canada and is comprised of four officer positions and the board chair of each of the provincial/territorial councils. The Priory Council is the executive arm of Priory Chapter. Priory Council is responsible for policy and governance and is invested with the power to authorize action in the name of Priory Chapter. Priory Council is committed to sound governance that is based on clarity, transparency, and visible accountability.

Officers:

Alain (Al) L.J. Laurencelle, KStJ, BA, LLB – Chancellor

Alain’s involvement with St. John Ambulance began in 2005 when he was the Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel for 16 and 17 Field Ambulances, Medical Reserves in Winnipeg, Manitoba and is currently the Honorary Colonel for 16-17-18 Field Ambulances. He has since served continuously, initially on the Board of Manitoba Council which included two terms as Chair, followed by his role as Chair of the Manitoba/North-West Territories/Nunavut Regional Committee. At the national level, he was the honorary legal counsel for the Priory of Canada for four years during its transition over to the new Canada Not-For-Profit Corporations Act. He has also served in different capacities on several committees such as Finance and Administration, Audit and Priory Executive Council.  After completing a two-year term as Deputy Chancellor, he was appointed Chancellor in June 2020. 

Despite having a very demanding professional career as a Partner with Taylor McCaffrey LLP, Alain has been a long-time volunteer within the greater community and for his commitment and dedication received such recognition as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Long Service Medal from the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires. St. John also acknowledged his many accomplishments by awarding him a Priory Vote of Thanks from the Governor General of Canada, a Chancellor’s as well as a Chair’s Commendation, the Order of St. John Long Service Medal and was promoted to Knight of the Order in June 2020. Most notably in 2010, Alain and his daughter became rare recipients of the St. John Ambulance Life-Saving Award (Gold level) for trying to save the life of the driver of a motor vehicle. The very next day, a lady collapsed while he was visiting someone in a personal care home and Alain responded to get her breathing again until the paramedics arrived. She survived!

André M. Levesque, OMM, KStJ, CD, PhD – Deputy Chancellor

André was first involved with St. John Ambulance in 1975 when he was a military instructor providing first aid training and coordination in support of the Department of National Defence (DND). From 2004 to 2013, on behalf of the Chief of the Defence Staff he was the Administrator of the St. John Adjunct Special Centre for DND. Also, from 2004 to 2013, he served on the board of directors of the Council for Federal District, including Chair in 2008 for three years. In 2013, André entered the Community Services Auxiliary performing special projects until he re-joined the Federal District board of directors in 2019. At the Priory of Canada level, he has served on various executive committees as well as a Chapter representative for Federal District. André was elected Deputy Chancellor in June 2020.  

André began his career in public service in municipal planning and economic development in 1986 and later received Federal appointments as Director Honours and Recognition for the Canadian Armed Forces, Director General Commemoration at Veterans Affairs, and visiting scholar with the Royal Military College of Canada until his retirement in 2019. André also served with the Army Reserves for 35 years and retired at the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He holds a B.A. and M.A. in geography from Carleton University and in 2013, he completed a Ph.D. in history from the National University of Ireland. He is an Officer of the Order of Military Merit, a Knight of the French Legion of Honour and was promoted to Knight of the Order of St. John in 2014.  

​Robert (Bob) Robertson, MStJ, BA, CA, CPA – Vice-Chancellor, Finance and Administration

Robert Robertson has been a volunteer member of St. John Ambulance since 2005. He is a Chartered Accountant and completed his undergraduate degree in Business and Economics at McMaster University. He worked as a senior financial executive in both profit and not-for-profit corporations. After being first employed as an auditor at Price Waterhouse Coopers, he later worked as a financial analyst at Ford Motor Company, Assistant Controller at George Weston Limited, Corporate Controller at Robin Hood Multifoods, and Vice-President Finance and Chief Financial Officer at the Carlson Marketing Group. 

Prior to retiring, he was the Director of Finance at the St. John Ambulance Council for Ontario where he took on a number of major projects designed to improve the overall efficiency of the business operation and tackled the issues of financial consolidation and long-term stability. Some of his volunteer accomplishments at the provincial level included participation on the Resources Committee and administrating an underperforming branch and overseeing its full recovery. At the Priory level, he served as member of the national Audit Committee for a two-year term and has represented Ontario Council as Chapter member for 2018-2020. In June 2020, Robert was elected Vice-Chancellor, Finance and Administration taking on the responsibility of Chair of the national Finance and Audit Committee and member of the national Pension Committee. ​

Robert has received many accolades for his work with St. John Ambulance including two Priory Vote of Thanks from the Governor General of Canada, an Ontario Chair’s Commendation, and was admitted as Member of the Order of St. John in 2013.

Geoffrey Lougheed has been involved with St. John Ambulance since 1979 in Sudbury, Ontario.  As chair of the Sudbury Branch for over 10 years and member of the Ontario Board of Directors, Geoffrey actively participated in various local, provincial and national committees.  Geoffrey was appointed Vice-Chancellor-at-Large for the Priory of Canada from 2011 and served as the Priory Chapter Representative for Ontario Council from 2014 to 2016. He was a member of the Board of Directors for St. John Canada Foundation until elected Deputy Chancellor in 2016. He served as Chancellor of the Order of St. John from 2018 to 2020.