Units of the Canadian Forces have Honorary Colonels and Honorary Lieutenant Colonels, who are appointed by the Minister of National Defence, serve their units by undertaking several vital functions. These appointees are distinguished Canadians who have contributed to the country through business, or throughprior military service. Honoraries serve in an honourary and advisory capacity to their respective regiments - a role that is very important to the morale and esprit-de-corps within the ceremonial life of the unit. They also serve as patrons to their regiments and develop, promote and sustain the connection to the community.

The Rangers have a unique appointment is that of Colonel of the Regiment. This position is held in perpetuity by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and recognizes the historical connection of the Regiment to the office and the province. The first Lt Governor of Ontario was Lieutenant General John Graves Simcoe, a Commanding Officer of the Rangers in the American Revolutionary War (1776-1783). He brought many of his old regiment to Upper Canada and it was the Queen's Rangers that built Fort York and many of the key streets in Toronto including Yonge Street and Dundas Street. This appointment recognizes the historical connection.

Colonel of the Regiment

Her Honour, Edith Dumont, O.Ont, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario

The Honourable Edith Dumont is the 30th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. The first Francophone to hold the office, she was appointed following a long and distinguished career in education.

Driven by a desire to build relationships; strengthen communities; create collaborative teams; and advocate for diversity, inclusion, and the celebration of la francophonie, Madame Dumont’s journey has led her across Canada and around the world. Her first professional experiences in the Dominican Republic and Rwanda pointed her towards humanitarian work and teaching. Her passion for pedagogy and community-oriented schools has only increased over the years.

In the late 1990s, a professional assignment allowed Madame Dumont and her family to spend several years living in Pretoria, South Africa, and in Paris, France. During this time, Madame Dumont devoted herself to her three children, and to completing her Master’s degree in education. She is always mindful of how the diverse communities she encounters transform her and enrich her worldview.

Upon her return to Canada, Madame Dumont leveraged her personal and professional experiences to pursue a 32-year career at the Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario (CEPEO). Her mobilizing leadership and her desire to create welcoming schools, open to the community, led her to take on progressively senior responsibilities. From special education teacher to school principal, she became the first woman to assume the highest role at CEPEO: Director of Education and Secretary-Treasurer.

Madame Dumont has been commended for implementing various innovative initiatives to develop school and community leadership. She set new records for the number of high-performing schools, with graduation rates approaching 95 per cent.

In 2020, she joined the newly established Université de l’Ontario français (UOF) in Toronto, as its Vice-President of Partnerships, Communities, and International Relations. Her three-year term permitted her to establish UOF’s first partnerships: le Carrefour des savoirs et de l’innovation, and a strategy for bespoke training resources for businesses.

Madame Dumont has always promoted diversity as a vital strength in every community, women as indispensable contributors to decision-making tables, collaboration as the foundation of high-performing teams, and la francophonie as a source of pride in all aspects of society.

She has been invited to discuss these themes as a speaker and panelist at numerous international conferences.

She was named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes académiques by the French Republic for her contributions in bringing international attention to Ontario’s expertise in education. Madame Dumont is also a member of the Order of Ontario. In addition, she has been recognized with the Coronation Medal, the Médaille de l’Ordre de la Pléiade de l’Ontario, the Médaille de l’Ordre de la ville d’Ottawa, and several other community awards.

Madame Dumont holds two Bachelor’s degrees, one in psychology from the Université d’Ottawa and another in orthopedagogy from the Université du Québec en Outaouais, as well as a Master of Education from the University of Ottawa.

She lives with her husband, Tony Viscardi. They have three children, Éloïse, Antoine, and Gabrielle. In her free time, Madame Dumont enjoys open water swimming, hiking, cross-country skiing, and skating on the world’s largest natural skating rink: the Rideau Canal.

Madame Dumont has received the following honours:

• Member of the Order of Ontario (2023), postnominal letters: OOnt

• Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes académiques

Colonel of the Regiment (Sep 2014 - Oct 2023)

Her Honour, Elizabeth Dowdeswell, OC, DStJ, O.Ont, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario

The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell is an energetic and highly regarded renaissance woman, an accomplished civil servant with wide-ranging interests, and is passionately devoted to the advancement of humanity. An intelligent, perceptive, and compassionate woman, Ms. Dowdeswell has devoted herself to public service, where her talents and skills have contributed greatly to many important initiatives, most notably those that integrate environmental, economic, social, educational, and cultural concerns.

She cares deeply about the environment, which she considers the fundamental basis for life on earth. She has led provincial, federal, and international institutions, and has served on the boards of corporate and non-profit organizations. Her years as an Under-Secretary-General at the United Nations profoundly shaped her worldview and continue to inform her thinking as she undertakes her role as 29th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.

Her overarching and ambitious vision is Ontario in the world. She wants to listen to Ontarians and engage them in meaningful dialogue about what they can contribute and learn from others in meeting the common challenges of our interconnected world. Her Honour’s aim is to bring multiple perspectives to the table, encourage innovation, and cultivate new ideas, sparking action and commitment to seeing these ideas move forward.

Ms. Dowdeswell is an Officer of the Order of Canada and holds 11 honorary degrees.

Honorary Colonel

HCol Sally M. Horsfall Eaton, C.M., CD, SSStJ, RN, LL.D

Sally has spent her entire adult life in the not for profit sector, both in her professional career and more importantly in her philanthropic activities.  She has devoted her time, expertise and resources to assisting numerous organizations and advocating on behalf of many social issues.

Sally received The Order of Canada in December, 2020; was appointed the Inaugural Chancellor of George Brown College in 2012 and appointed Chancellor Emeritus in 2018. She was appointed Honorary Colonel Queen's York Rangers in June 2020.  She is also a Member of the Dean of Community Services Advisory Council Ryerson University. Sally has broad experience in managing organizations at the Board, Committee and Executive Director level.  Noted for her vision and leadership, she is pragmatic in her approach, espouses inclusiveness in the decision process and is a strong believer in partnering and leveraging resources.

Sally was the Honorary Lieutenant Colonel of 709 (Toronto) Communication Regiment from 1996 to 2003; Honorary Colonel of 32 Signal Regiment from 2003 to 2014, and a Member of the Executive Committee National Honorary Colonels Council.

She was Past Chair of the Boards of St. John's Rehabilitation Hospital and BREAKFAST FOR LEARNING Canadian Living Foundation.   She also Chaired The Advisory Board on the Voluntary Sector for the Premier’s Office in Ontario, was a Director of Green Shield Canada, The Centre For Studies of Children at Risk, a Trustee of McMaster University, and the Public Representative on the Appeals Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accounts of Ontario.

As Founding Executive Director of the Ontario Trillium Foundation in 1982, Sally was intimately involved in its initial development and directed its growth until 1993.  Previously, Sally was founding Managing Director of The Canadian Hearing Society Foundation, Assistant Executive Director of the Canadian Hearing Society and as a Registered Nurse, worked in Emergency Departments in several hospitals.  

Sally was previously Director of The Niagara Institute, the Metro Toronto and Region Conservation Foundation, the Canadian Coordinating Council on Deafness, Founding Chair of VOICE for Hearing Impaired Children, Director of the Ontario Coordinating Council for the Hearing Impaired, and The Canadian Hearing Society.  She also served on the Faculty of the Humber College/CCP certificate course on Fund Raising Management and consulted for TV Ontario on the development of two broadcast series on fund raising and the voluntary sector,

Honorary Chair, Festival of International Conferences on Caregiving, Disability, Aging and Technology (FICCDAT) 2007 & 2011, and Past Honorary Associate for Asian Heritage Month.

Sally has been awarded with the 2006 Outstanding Volunteer Award; the Canadian Forces Decoration, and is a Serving Sister Order of St. John.  She was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Ryerson University and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal.  She continues to contribute much of her time to philanthropic organizations.   She is the author of many papers and has been a frequent guest speaker at conferences and seminars on many aspects of the voluntary sector, including not-for-profit management.  

In addition to the above, Sally is President of Sky Blue Marlin Corp. and Trustee of The John C. and Sally Horsfall Eaton Foundation.   She still finds time for her large family and her hobbies, have included fly fishing, llama driving, flying (private pilot), tennis and golf.