After extensive consultation with territorial and divisional leaders, and with International Headquarters' approval, it has been decided to merge the following divisions:

• Alberta and Northern Territories and Prairie divisions will merge to form one division under the name Prairies and Northern Territories division, with Lt-Colonel Brian Armstrong to be divisional commander.
  
  
• Bermuda, Newfoundland and Labrador, Maritime, and Quebec divisions will merge to form one division under the name, The Atlantic Division with Lt-Colonel Sandra Stokes to be divisional commander.
  
  
• British Columbia and Ontario will remain separate divisions, as they are today.

The mergers will be fully realized by January 2024.

Leadership teams from the merging divisions worked together to discuss potential names and submitted their top choices for consideration. The objective was to choose a name that resonated with the merging divisions and connected them geographically. The names were sent to International Headquarters who ultimately approved of “Atlantic Division" for the east and “Prairies and Northern Territories Division” (formerly "Great Plains and Northern Division"*) for the west. Both choices are distinctly aligned with Canadian geography.

*Initially, it was proposed that the Alberta and Northern Territories Division and Prairie Division would merge to form the Great Plains and Northern Division. After consultation with stakeholders in the respective divisions, it was determined that this name did not accurately reflect the regions and a change was proposed and approved by territorial headquarters.

Effective January 2024:

• The DHQ for the Atlantic Division will be in Halifax.
  
  
• The DHQ for the Prairies and Northern Territories Division will be in Winnipeg.

Divisional offices will remain operational in all locations where there is currently a DHQ (i.e., Edmonton, Montreal, St. John’s, N.L., and Hamilton, Bermuda).

No. It is important to have leadership representation across the division. DHQ represents where the divisional commander will be located; however, other members of the divisional leadership team will be dispersed throughout the divisional offices.

In September 2021, a diverse working group was formed to test the assumptions that divisional mergers would benefit the territory.

The working group conducted interviews with every divisional commander, engaged with divisional executive boards and conducted in-depth focus groups across the territory to assess divisional needs and determine the best way forward. The review also analyzed the external environment, consulting with divisional leaders for their advice based on their local context.

The findings provided a strong case for the divisional mergers.

We are merging to create four balanced divisions to continually adapt to increasing external complexities, steward our resources responsibly and ensure our front line has equal access to expertise.

The rationale for these changes includes:

• Restructuring to deal with the increasing complexity of the external context in which we serve. These complexities include:
  • Increased public scrutiny of charities.
  • More charities are competing for the same donations.
  • Increased legislative and regulatory requirements to which we much comply.
  • Change in spiritual ministry and changing environment based on increased specialization of skills.
  • Changes in the socio-economic and demographic makeup of the territory leading to changes in demand for the services offered by The Salvation Army.
    
    
• Creating consistency across divisional structures, processes, systems, and leadership team. Examples of this include:
  • In the four new divisions, the titles and responsibilities of positions reporting directly to the divisional commander will be consistent.
  • Merging of divisions aligns with other changes to the high-level operating model for the territory that were approved as part of the Mobilize 2.0 program.
  • Fewer divisions will enable streamlined administrative processes between territorial and divisional personnel for collaboration and decision making.
    
    
• Giving all divisions an equal voice in territorial decision-making.
  • All divisions will now be represented at the decisions making tables. Currently there are only four of the current eight divisional commanders on Territorial Management Board.
    
    
• Realigning resources and leveraging technology for better stewardship.
  • In the current environment, some divisions have more human and other resources at their disposal than others. By merging divisions, resources can be better leveraged across all divisions to help achieve mission outcomes.
    
    
• Levelling the playing field so that each of the four divisions will have more balanced personnel, budgets, and ministry units.
  • More equally sized divisions will lead to a rebalancing of responsibility/influence as the proposed divisions will be more aligned in terms of budget and complexity of the people they serve.

The Salvation Army is not just an organization – we are a movement. That means that we can’t ever stand still. We need to respond to the evolving changes and conditions around us. We need to be sure that we are doing our best to fulfill our mission to share the love of Jesus, meet human needs and be a transforming influence in the communities of our world.

The working group consulted with divisional leadership, analyzed the external environment, assessed divisional needs, and conducted in-depth focus groups to determine the best way forward. This expert analysis has shown us that divisional restructuring will lead to better mission outcomes.

By not following this best advice, we do ourselves a disservice. Inaction will inevitably lead to paralysis and decline. Instead, we want to be an Army “on the move,” continually adapting and adopting the best business wisdom of the day, all while keeping our hearts fixed on Jesus. 

A committee (Divisional Boundary Leadership Forum) that is chaired by the divisional commanders, will consider the unique needs of existing divisions to ensure that, upon the merger, the distinctiveness is not lost.

A rigorous process was conducted, including conversations with employees and leaders, to determine the needs of the divisions. The current divisional commanders in collaboration with personnel designed the new organizational chart for the merged divisions. The process was completed the beginning of June, and all employees were updated as to their future role. There was no job loss as a result of the new organizational design.

All divisions will have equal access to expertise, which may not currently exist, greater equity in financial resources and streamlined decision making, in collaboration with the chief secretary’s office.

The mergers will not impact camps. These will continue to operate as before, serving the specific needs of those in their regional catchment area.

No, the catalyst for the mergers was not for the purpose of cost-savings. However, stewardship is always top of mind as we make any decisions as an organization. Organizationally, we are in a healthy financial position and want to continue to build in efficiencies and effectiveness in our structure.