Mr. J. Robert Walsh has spent the bulk of his life and multiple careers in service to others, mostly involving military members and Veterans. A Canadian Armed Forces Veteran, Mr. Walsh is a very active member of The Royal Canadian Legion, both as a member of the Executive Committee at Branch 15 and as branch Service Officer. He has sought out Veterans in need and works tirelessly to assist all Veterans. For example, Mr. Walsh arranges for visits to the Brampton Legion branch for the Legion’s provincial Service Officer and Veterans Affairs Canada case managers to meet with Veterans who cannot get to a Veterans Affairs Canada office to complete paperwork.
He also tracked down a homeless Veteran in Brampton, placed him into an apartment and continued to work with him to address his medical and employment needs.
Mr. Walsh negotiated a partnership between George Brown College’s Dentistry Program and the Royal Canadian Legion Ontario Command to provide Veterans with dental care they cannot otherwise afford. This initiative is now part of the Royal Canadian Legion’s, “Operation: Leave the Streets Behind” program. In addition, Mr. Walsh is the liaison between the Peel Regional Police and the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 15 for the program and fundraises to provide care, gift hampers and gift cards for Veterans. Mr. Walsh was also part of a committee to commission Dixie Road as the Veterans Memorial Roadway.
A strong advocate for Veterans, Mr. Walsh was instrumental in organizing roundtables with government officials to bring to light the needs of Veterans. Mr. Walsh has been recently working to bring the resources of the Toronto Military Family Resource Centre to the Veterans and serving Canadian Armed Forces members of Brampton. He is an active member of the Lorne Scots Regiment Association and was a key member in the fundraising for the Regiment’s 150th anniversary in 2016.