1. LIEUTENANT-COLONEL STEPHAN METIVIER WILL BE RETIRING FROM THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES ON 3 JULY 2020 AFTER HAVING PROUDLY SERVED HIS BELOVED CANADA FOR A TOTAL OF 40 YEARS, INCLUDING SIX YEARS IN THE PRIMARY RESERVE AND 34 YEARS IN THE REGULAR FORCE.
2. STEPHAN WAS BORN AND RAISED IN QUEBEC CITY AND JOINED THE ARMY CADETS IN 1976 AT THE TENDER AGE OF 12. HE ACHIEVED THE RANK OF SERGEANT BEFORE TRANSFERRING TO THE ARMY RESERVE IN 1980 AS A NON-COMMISSIONED MEMBER WITH LES VOLTIGEURS DE QUEBEC, A LIGHT INFANTRY REGIMENT. HE WAS ATTACHED TO 1R22ER DURING THE 1984 FALL EXERCISES IN GERMANY, AND WAS PART OF THE MASSIVE SHOW OF FORCE BY WESTERN NATIONS ALONG THE BERLIN WALL, IN THE THICK OF THE COLD WAR. WHILE SERVING AS A WEEKEND WARRIOR, HE NOT ONLY LEARNED THE BASIC TENETS OF THE LIFE OF A MODEST SOLDIER, BUT HE ALSO COMPLETED HIS COLLEGE EDUCATION AT CEGEP LIMOILOU, OBTAINING AN ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING DIPLOMA.
3. HE SERVED IN THE MILITIA UNTIL 1986, WHEN HE TRANSFERRED TO THE REGULAR FORCE, REPORTEDLY JOINING QUOTE THE DARK SIDE UNQUOTE VIA THE DIRECT-ENTRY OFFICER (DEO) PROGRAM TO BECOME A SIGNALS OFFICER. AFTER HAVING BEEN AN INFANTRYMAN NCM FOR SIX YEARS, HE SURVIVED THE REPORTEDLY DRAMATIC CULTURAL SHOCK OFFERED BY THE BASIC OFFICER TRAINING COURSE (BOTC) IN CHILLIWACK, BC, WHERE HE SUCCESSFULLY BECAME AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN IN A SHORT 13 WEEKS.
4. HIS FIRST POSTING AS A SIGNALS OFFICER WAS IN 1988, AFTER HAVING COMPLETED MULTIPLE BACK-TO-BACK COURSES AT THE CANADIAN FORCES SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS (CFSCE) IN KINGSTON, ON. HE WAS POSTED TO THE NATIONAL DEFENCE HEADQUARTERS IN AN ADM(MAT) ORGANIZATION THEN KNOWN AS DLAEEM 5, WHICH CHANGED ITS NAME A COUPLE TIMES IN THE FOLLOWING DECADES, AND IS NOW KNOWN AS DLCSPM. HIS ROLE THEN WAS TO MANAGE THE ARMY FLEET OF TACTICAL UHF RADIOS AS WELL AS A NUMBER OF GROUND-BREAKING PROJECTS SUCH AS THE REPLACEMENT OF THE OLD TAPE RELAY MACHINES FOR A LAPTOP COMPUTERS IN CRTTZ VEHICLES; THE DESIGN OF A TIME-OF-DAY DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM FOR THE HAVE QUICK FAMILY OF FREQUENCY HOPPING RADIOS; AND THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF A MOBILE SATELLITE COMMUNICATION TERMINAL (COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS MM4) TO SUPPORT AN OPERATIONAL DEPLOYMENT IN THE SAHARA DESERT. HE WAS ALSO THE CANADIAN REPRESENTATIVE ON THE NATO SPECIAL WORKING GROUP ON PRECISION TIME AND FREQUENCY STANDARDS.
5. IN 1992, HE WAS POSTED TO 79 COMMUNICATION REGIMENT AS THE OPERATIONS CAPTAIN (OPS K) RESPONSIBLE TO COORDINATE TRAINING AND DEPLOYMENT OF ALL NATIONAL COMMAND AND CONTROL INFORMATION SYSTEM (REAR LINK) DETACHMENTS IN SUPPORT OF CANADIAN MILITARY OPERATIONS IN THE BALKANS AND OTHER COUNTRIES OVERSEAS. HE WAS APPOINTED TO OFFICER COMMANDING (OC) STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION TROOP FOR 791 COMM SQN DURING EX RENDEZ-VOUS 92 IN WAINWRIGHT, AB AND WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS INCLUDING THE BASE TELEPHONE SWITBOARD AND THE INITIAL MILITARY MOBILE (MM1) SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM.
6. POSTED TO PETAWAWA IN 1994, HE SERVED IN THE SPECIAL SERVICE FORCES (LATER RENAMED 2 CANADIAN MECHANIZED BRIGADE GROUP) HEADQUARTERS & SIGNAL SQUADRON IN A SUCCESSION OF DIFFERENT ROLES: OC BRAVO TROOP, BRIGADE HQ RECONNAISSANCE OFFICER, BRIGADE INFORMATION SYSTEMS OFFICER, AND FINALLY OC REAR PARTY DURING THE SQUADRON’S DEPLOYMENT TO THE FORMER REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA IN 1996. HE WAS THEN POSTED ACROSS THE STREET TO 702 COMMUNICATIONS SQUADRON AS THE BASE TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS OFFICER, RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF THE BASE TELEPHONE AND COMPUTER NETWORK SERVICES. IN 1997, HE WAS SELECTED TO BE THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIST FOR THE BASE REENGINEERING TEAM, WHICH WAS TASKED TO DEVELOP A PLAN FOR CFB PETAWAWA TO BECOME MORE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE TO AVOID THE ALTERNATE SERVICE DELIVERY (I.E. PRIVATIZATION) OF BASE SERVICES.
7. IN 1999, HE WAS SELECTED TO ESTABLISH AND LEAD THE FIRST FIELDING DETACHMENT IN PETAWAWA IN SUPPORT OF THE TACTICAL COMMUNICATION, COMMAND AND CONTROL SYSTEM (TCCCS) PROJECT. HE WAS RESPONSIBLE TO COORDINATE THE INSTALLATION OF THE NEW RADIOS AND COMPUTERS FOR ALL LAND FORCES CENTRAL AREA UNITS, REPRESENTING A FLEET OF OVER 1200 VEHICLES. IN 2001, HE RETURNED TO OTTAWA TO CONTINUE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TCCCS PROJECT AS THE OC NATIONAL FIELDING COORDINATION CENTRE (NFCC), RESPONSIBLE TO COORDINATE THE WORK OF FOUR FIELDING DETACHMENT ACROSS CANADA, MANAGING A FLEET OF OVER 5000 VEHICLES ACROSS ALL LAND FORCES AREAS.
8. PROMOTED TO THE RANK OF MAJOR IN 2004, HE ACTED AS CHIEF OF STAFF FOR DLCSPM FOR A FEW MONTHS BEFORE GOING TO THE CANADIAN LAND FORCE COMMAND AND STAFF COLLEGE TO COMPLETE THE ARMY OPERATIONS COURSE (AOC). HE THEN HAD A LITTLE TASTE FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING WHEN HE COMPLETED NINE MONTHS OF DISTANCE LEARNING TO OBTAIN HIS BACHELOR DEGREE IN MILITARY ARTS AND SCIENCE FROM THE ROYAL MILITARY COLLEGE OF CANADA.
9. IN 2005, HE WAS POSTED TO ADM(IM) WHERE HE SERVED FOR TWO YEARS AS THE SENIOR STAFF OFFICER (ANOTHER NAME FOR CHIEF OF STAFF) FOR DDCEI, SHORTLY AFTER RENAMED DIMEI. IN 2007, HE DEPLOYED TO SARAJEVO, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA FOR SIX MONTHS TO BE THE COMMANDER OF THE SIGNALS SUPPORT GROUP, A MULTINATIONAL ORGANIZATION SUPPORTING BOTH THE NATO HQ AND THE EUROPEAN FORCES (EUFOR) HQ. UPON HIS RETURN TO CANADA, HE CONTINUED TO WORK IN DIMEI AND WAS APPOINTED DEPUTY PROJECT MANAGER FOR THE CANADIAN MILITARY MESSAGING SYSTEM PROJECT WHILE ALSO BEING THE DIVISIONAL BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLANNER FOR DGIMT.
10. IN 2008, UPON RECOMMENDATION BY THE DIRECTOR OF SIGNALS, HE HAD THE IMMENSE PRIVILEGE AND HONOUR TO BE SELECTED BY THE CHIEF OF MILITARY PERSONNEL TO SERVE AS CAREER MANAGER (CM) FOR SIGNALS OFFICERS (MAJORS AND BELOW), REPRESENTING OVER 450 FILES. DURING HIS TIME AS A CM, HE DEVELOPED A CAREER MANAGEMENT FOR NEWBIES GUIDE THAT EXPLAINS TO CAF MEMBERS AND THEIR SUPERVISORS WHAT CAREER MANAGEMENT IS REALLY ABOUT AND WHAT ARE THEIR RESPECTIVE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN TERMS OF POSTINGS, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, ACADEMIC UPGRADE, SECOND LANGUAGE PROFILE, AND MANY OTHER ASPECTS RELATED TO A CAREER IN THE CAF.
11. IN 2010, THE EXPRESSION QUOTE BE CAREFUL FOR WHAT YOU WISH UNQUOTE BECAME A REALITY WHEN HE LITERALLY POSTED HIMSELF TO 76 COMMUNICATIONS GROUP, WHICH ALMOST RESULTED IN THE ABRUPT END TO WHAT WAS OTHERWISE A PROMISING CAREER. HE SERVED IN 76 CG BOTH AS DEPUTY COMMANDER OF THE FORMATION AND AS COMMANDING OFFICER (CO) OF THE FORMATION HQ, TO ENSURE THE SUPPORT OF ALL LEVEL II AND ABOVE NETWORKS AND TO LEAD ALL PERSONNEL INVOLVED WITH THE ADMINISTRATION, FINANCE, PROCUREMENT, WAREHOUSING, HR STAFFING, AND BUSINESS PLANNING ASPECTS OF THE FORMATION.
12. HE WAS PROMOTED TO HIS CURRENT RANK IN 2011 AND POSTED TO THE ARMY HQ AND WORKED IN THE G1 BRANCH AS G1 SERVICES, RESPONSIBLE FOR LOOKING AFTER THE CONCERNS AND NEEDS OF ALL ARMY PERSONNEL, REGULAR AND RESERVE, IN THE AREAS OF POLICY DEVELOPMENT, REVIEW, INTERPRETATION AND APPLICATION AS WELL AS APPLICABLE PROGRAMS, SERVICES AND BENEFITS.
13. IN 2013, LCOL METIVIER WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE AT THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME AND JUMPED AT THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE POSTED TO HALIFAX, NS TO SERVE AS G6 OF THE LAND FORCE ATLANTIC AREA (LFAA), WHICH WAS LATER REBRANDED TO 5TH CANADIAN DIVISION. DURING HIS THREE YEARS IN HALIFAX, LCOL METIVIER HAS THE HONOUR OF BEING THE CO OF 5TH CDN DIV HQ FOR A YEAR.
14. IN 2016, LCOL METIVIER WAS SENT BACK TO THE MOTHERSHIP, A.K.A. OTTAWA, THIS TIME TO SERVE IN THE CANADIAN JOINT OPERATIONS COMMAND (CJOC) TO SERVE IN THE J6 BRANCH AS J6 CAPABILITY INTEGRATION AS WELL AS DEPUTY J6 FOR ONE YEAR. WHILE HE SERVED IN CJOC, LCOL METIVIER WAS THE CANADIAN LEAD FOR NATO’S COALITION INTEROPERABILITY ASSURANCE AND VALIDATION WORKING GROUP (CIAV WG) AND HAD THE IMMENSE HONOUR OF BEING THE FIRST CANADIAN TO BE ASKED BY THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO BE THE CHAIRMAN OF THAT MULTINATIONAL WG.
15. LCOL METIVIER WILL HAVE COMPLETED HIS LAST YEAR IN THE CAF IN THE DLCSPM, WHERE HIS REGULAR FORCE ADVENTURE STARTED BACK IN 1988. BUT THIS TIME, HE SERVED AS THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR AND THE CHIEF OF STAFF.
16. LCOL METIVIER GAVE 100% OF HIMSELF TO EVERY JOB HE EVER HAD, POSITION HE OCCUPIED, DEPLOYMENT OR EXERCISE HE WENT ON, OR COURSES HE COMPLETED IN THE LAST 40 YEARS. HE IS MOST GRATEFUL FOR THE DIVERSE AND REWARDING OPPORTUNITIES HIS CAREER HAS AFFORDED HIM, MOST OF WHICH HE COULD HAVE NEVER IMAGINED FOUR DECADES AGO. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, HE WILL CHERISH THE MEMORIES DEVELOPED WITH MEMBERS OF HIS MILITARY FAMILY. HE WILL ALSO CHERISH THE GREAT MOMENTS HE SHARED WITH MEMBERS OF HIS ARMY VOICES CHOIR FAMILY, WITH WHOM HE HAD THE PLEASURE OF SINGING AT MOST ARMY BALLS SINCE 2012.
17. STEPHAN IS THE PROUD FATHER OF VERONIQUE, VALERIE AND MATHIEU METIVIER – THREE AMAZING YOUNG ADULTS, ALL CURRENTLY LIVING AND WORKING IN THE OTTAWA AREA. STEPHAN WANTS TO THANK THEM FOR THEIR REMARKABLE RESILIENCE AND ACCEPTANCE OF THE MILITARY FAMILY LIFESTYLE. STEPHAN ALSO WANTS TO THANK CHRISTINE MAIR (HIS SPOUSE SINCE 2012) FOR HER UNCONDITIONAL SUPPORT DURING THE LAST EIGHT YEARS.
18. STEPHAN AND CHRISTINE (AND THEIR THREE CATS) WILL RELOCATE TO EASTERN PASSAGE, NS (NEAR HALIFAX) TO ENJOY LIFE IN THEIR LITTLE RED HOUSE ACROSS THE ROAD FROM THE ATLANTIC OCEAN AND A SHORT WALK TO THE MILITARY GOLF COURSE, JUST AROUND THE BEND. STEPHAN INTENDS TO VOLUNTEER HIS LEADERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, MUSICAL AND CONSTRUCTION TALENTS AND SKILLS WITH CHARITABLE ORGANISATIONS, WITH A VIEW TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE.
19. GIVEN THE RESTRICTIONS RELATED TO COVID-19, LCOL METIVIER OPTED TO NOT HAVE A FORMAL RETIREMENT FUNCTION. INSTEAD, HE INVITES YOU ALL TO CONTACT HIM DIRECTLY BY EMAIL ([email protected]) OR BY PHONE (613-720-9985) TO OFFER CONGRATULATORY MESSAGES AND BEST WISHES OR TO SHARE ANECDOTES, STORIES, PHOTOS AND VIDEO MESSAGES. HE ALSO INVITES YOU TO CONTACT HIM IF YOU ARE EVER IN THE HALIFAX AREA AS HE WOULD BE PLEASED TO EVENTUALLY SHARE A COUPLE SOCIABLES IN PERSON.