| The Salvation Army in Canada | |
| Main Classification: | Christian |
| Orientation: | Holiness movement |
| Governance: | The Governing Council of the Salvation Army in Canada[1] |
| Founded Date: | 1882 (in Canada) |
| Branched From: | The Salvation Army |
| Associations: | Canadian Council of Churches |
| Area: | Canada (plus Bermuda) |
| Headquarters: | 2 Overlea Blvd, Toronto, Ontario |
| Members: | 15,743 soldiers 30,115 adherents |
| Churches: | 285 corps (community churches) |
| Ministers: | 611 active officers |
The Salvation Army in Canada (nicknamed "Sally Ann") is the Canadian territory of a Christian church that is known for its charity work, with a motto of Giving Hope Today. The Salvation Army was formed in 1865 in London, England, and it began working in Canada in 1882. Today, it operates in 400 communities across Canada and in Bermuda.[2] The Salvation Army Archives are in Toronto, and the Salvation Army's Training College (formerly in Toronto) is in Winnipeg.
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 Territorial Commander. In turn, the Territorial 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.
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?.
Beginning in the 1880s, Salvation Army brass bands began to be established in Canada, copying similar trends in the United Kingdom at the time. In 1888, Territorial Commander Thomas Coombs issued an advertisement for Salvation Army bandsmen to form a "Household Troops" band, which would eventually become the first Canadian Staff Band.[4]
In May of 1914, the Canadian Staff Band departed Toronto for an International Congress of The Salvation Army in London, England. The band was travelling on the RMS Empress of Ireland when it sank in the Saint Lawrence River shortly after its departure from Quebec City. While a group of survivors briefly attempted to reform the band in 1917, the band eventually ceased to exist.
In 1969, the Canadian Staff Band was revived under the leadership of bandmaster Major Norman Bearcroft. The band participates in most major territorial events, has recorded many albums, and frequently visits local Salvation Army churches across Canada and Bermuda, and abroad.