After more than 30 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Military Engineer Branch, Capt B. Blanchard, CD, will retire on 12 January 2026. A DwD reception will be held on 16 January at 1230 at the “Out of Bounds” Restaurant, Cattail Crossing Golf Club, in Sturgeon County, AB. If attending, please RSVP to Capt K.S.C. Ho at: Kyle.Ho@forces.gc.ca. Anecdotes and well-wishes may also be sent to the same address
Captain “Bruce” Blanchard was born in Bathurst, New-Brunswick (N-B), in 1969. He completed high school in 1988 and went on to graduate from Holland College in Charlottetown, Prince Edwar Island, in 1990 with a diploma in Construction Technology.
In 1995, Captain Blanchard joined the Canadian Forces as a Field Engineer. After completing his trades training in Chilliwack, British Columbia, he was posted to the 5e Régiment du génie de combat (5 RGC) in Valcartier, Québec. Between 1996 and 2001, he deployed on a United Nations mission to Haiti nand later took part in Operation ICE STORM in Montreal in 1998. In 2001, Captain Blanchard remustered to the Construction Technician trade and was posted to 74 Construction Troop at 4 Engineer Support Regiment (4 ESR) in Gagetown, N-B.
From 2003 to 2006, Captain Blanchard served as a Construction Technician Instructor at the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering (CFSME), holding the rank of Master Corporal. In
2006, he was promoted to Sergeant and posted to 17 Wing Winnipeg (Detachment Dundurn) in Saskatchewan, where he served as the Planning and Operations NCO, and later as th Productions Officer. In 2008, he completed a short deployment to Camp Mirage in the United Arab Emirates, where he served as the Contracts Sergeant in support of the mission in Afghanistan.
In 2009, Captain Blanchard was promoted to Warrant Officer and returned to CFSME, where he served as the Construction Cell Commander until 2011. He later transitioned to the Standards Cell, taking on the role of Carpentry Trade Standards Warrant Officer. In 2012, he was promoted to Master Warrant Officer and posted to 2 Canadian Air Division (2 CAD) in Winnipeg, where he served as the Qualification Standards Manager for the Plumbing & Heating, Electrical Distribution, and Construction Technician trades.
From 2013 to 2017, Captain Blanchard was posted to Geilenkirchen, Germany, where he served as the Technical Services Officer, Corporate Services Sergeant Major, and Unit General Safety Officer (UGSO) for the Canadian Forces Support Unit (Europe) (CFSU(E)). In this multifaceted role, he oversaw the Transport, Movement, Supply, Postal and Construction Engineering (CE) Sections. He managed contracts across Europe and planned and supervised numerous construction projects in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. During his time in Germany, he worked closely with CJOC, NATO, and the Nijmegen Canadian Contingent. A personal highlight came in 2016, when he was honoured to be selected for the CFSU(E) Nijmegen Team—an achievement he proudly considered one of his “bucket list” items.
In 2017, Captain Blanchard was promo to Chief Warrant Officer and posted to Ottawa, where he served as the Construction Engineering Trades Career Manager. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing the careers of more than 1,200 non-commissioned members. From 2019 to 2021, he was posted to Montreal as the Unit Sergeant Major for Unité des Opérations Immobilières (Québec) (UOI(Q)), continuing to demonstrate strong leadership and dedication to the engineering community.
In 2021, Captain Blanchard transitioned from the rank of Chief Warrant Officer to Captain under the Special Requirement Commissioning Plan (SRCP). He was subsequently posted to CFSME in Gagetown, where he served from 2021 to 2025. Duringu his tenure, he held several key positions, including Utility and Production Flight Commander for the first two years, followed by the roles of Standards 2IC, Construction Engineer Standards Officer (CESO), and Unit General Safety Officer (UGSO).In March 2025,Captain Blanchard was posted to Real Property Operations Unit (West) (RPOU(W). Headquarters in Edmonton, Alberta, where he served as Program Officer 2.
Throughout his career, Captain Blanchard was deeply committed not only to his military duties. He volunteered with the Beavers in Valcartier, the Navy League and Army Cadets in Gagetown, and the Air Cadets in Saskatoon—demonstrating his dedication to mentoring youth and giving back. Captain Blanchard has been happily married to his wife, Sonia, for over 35 years. Together,they have raised two sons—Mathieu, 34, who resides in Saskatchewan, and Dérick, 32, who resides in Alberta. They are also proud grandparents to two grandsons: William, age 6, and Mason, age 4.
As they enter this new chapter, Bruce and Sonia plan to remain in the St. Albert, Alberta area. They look forward to enjoying the outdoors through hunting and fishing, but most importantly, spending quality time with their children and grandchildren.