Jason Charles Burgoin

MStJ, CD, KCJ, FRHSC, FSA Scot

Origins:

Born in Hamilton, Ontario—Canada’s “Steel City”—Jason was raised in the Windsor–Essex region, where he developed an early appreciation for the country’s landscape, history, and character. He is the son of Danny Walter Burgoin and Kim Lorry Webster, and stepson to Wallace Frances Manning, whose influence helped shape his character and sense of duty.

He pursued his studies at Huron University College at Western University, with a focus on Globalization and Government. His academic work fostered an enduring interest in public institutions, governance, and the forces that shape societies, while providing an intellectual foundation for the path of service that would follow in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Service to Crown and Country:

Jason enrolled in the Canadian Armed Forces in 2001 in Windsor, Ontario, and was commissioned as an officer in the Canadian Army. He currently holds the rank of Captain and serves as a Reserve Officer with the Cadet Organizations Administration and Training Service (COATS).

His early military service was marked by progressive training, instructional, and leadership appointments at locations including CFB Trenton, CFB Borden, CFB Valcartier, and Area Support Unit London. During these formative years, he gained considerable experience and perspective in the training and development of Canadians young leaders. This period culminated in his appointment as Commanding Officer of No. 9 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps, a position he held from 2009 to 2012.

In 2013, Capt Burgoin transitioned to full-time Class B Reserve service at CFB Borden, joining Regional Cadet Support Unit (Central) as the J4 Regional Transportation Officer. Assuming responsibility for regional transportation planning and the coordination of personnel movement in support of operations throughout Central Region.

He was appointed J5 Plans Officer (Cadet Training Centre’s) in 2017. In this capacity, he was responsible for the integrated planning, infrastructure requirements, and operational readiness of six training centres across Ontario, supporting the annual delivery of summer training to more than 12,000 cadets from across Canada.

In 2021, Capt Burgoin was posted to the Niagara and Greater Toronto Area headquartered at Denison Armoury in Toronto, where he served as the J3 Zone Training Officer. His responsibilities encompassed training oversight, mentorship, and operational effectiveness for units throughout Halton, Peel, and Niagara. During this posting, he also served for several months as Acting Officer Commanding, providing leadership and continuity during a period of organizational transition.

In December 2023, he returned to RCSU Central Headquarters at CFB Borden as the J8 Financial Services Officer. In this role, he leads the Headquarters financial services section and provides financial management oversight across the region. His responsibilities encompass budget management, financial governance and compliance, and the provision of strategic financial advice and subject-matter expertise to senior leadership and commanders, in support of sound stewardship and informed decision-making.

The study of the art and science of heraldry has long been a defining element of Jason’s pursuits. A Herald of Arms by inclination, he has maintained a longstanding commitment to heraldic scholarship, practice, and education, including more than a decade of leadership and service within the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada. During his tenure, he served as President of the Toronto Branch from 2018 to 2023 and subsequently as National President from 2023 to 2024, contributing to the governance, programming, and broader work of the Society.
For many years, he also served as editor of Hogtown Heraldry, the quarterly publication of the Toronto Branch, overseeing its development into a substantive forum for heraldic writing and scholarship. In recognition of his service to the Society, he received its Meritorious Service Award in 2019 and, in 2022, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada (FRHSC), recognizing his sustained contribution to the study and promotion of heraldry..
In parallel, he is also the founding chair of the Canadian Heraldic Studies Symposium, established as an annual forum bringing together heraldists, artists, scholars, and those with an interest in the heraldic tradition. Through the Symposium, independent research, lectures, and participation in heraldic organizations internationally, he continues to contribute to the study and understanding of heraldry in Canada and beyond.
His particular interests lie in European heraldry, , sigillography, heraldic bookplates, and the historical material culture through which heraldry has been expressed and preserved.
‍ ‍Jason maintains a longstanding commitment to volunteer and community service, with particular emphasis on organizations devoted to public service, recognition, and institutional tradition.
Within St. John Ambulance, he has held a range of leadership and advisory appointments at the community, regional, and national levels. He currently serves as Vice Chair and Honours and Recognition Advisor to the Halton, Hamilton & Haldimand Regional Board, and is a member of the Ontario Council Ceremonial and Protocol Committee. From 2022 to 2024, he also served as a member of the Priory of Canada Chancellor’s Communications team. In recognition of his service, he was admitted to the Order of St. John in the grade of Member in 2020.
His service also extends internationally through The Equestrian, Secular & Chapterial Order of Saint Joachim. In 2020, he was appointed Commander of the Canadian Sub-Commandery of Gore-Niagara and advanced to the rank of Knight Commander. In 2024, he was appointed to Grand Chapter as Grand Herald, where he is entrusted with the maintenance of the Order’s Roll of Arms and provides guidance on the registration and use of armorial bearings within the Order. His service has been recognized with the Grand Master’s Medal in 2017, the Cross of Merit in 2019, and the Distinguished Merit Cross in 2026.
‍ ‍Known within the Craft as a Worshipful Brother, Jason is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario. He served as Worshipful Master of Dufferin Lodge No. 291, a historic lodge in West Flamborough, Ontario, and continues his membership as a Past Worshipful Master following its 2024 amalgamation into Flamborough Lodge No. 357.
His Masonic involvement also extends to the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in the Valley of Hamilton and to Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076, the long-established Masonic research lodge based in London, England.
Beyond lodge life, his interests lie in the study of Masonic history, ritual, symbolism, and institutional tradition. He maintains a particular interest in the preservation, interpretation, and transmission of traditional forms and practices, approaching Freemasonry not only as a fraternal institution, but as a continuing field of historical and philosophical study.
Beyond his professional, fraternal, and community commitments, Jason maintains a number of personal pursuits shaped by history, discipline, and craftsmanship.
An avid recreational SCUBA diver, he formerly served as President of the Aquateers of Canada, the CFB Borden Scuba Club. With a particular interest in wreck diving, he has explored numerous historic sites across Ontario and has organized and led diving activities for fellow divers.
His involvement within the military diving community also contributed to the development of a peer-supported diving initiative for Canadian Armed Forces members, veterans, and first responders affected by operational stress injuries. Through structured training, qualification, and shared experience in the water, the initiative sought to foster confidence, discipline, and connection. Jason contributed to its development and delivery over a number of years.
His other interests include historical European martial arts, particularly the study of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century rapier fencing, as well as handwriting, penmanship, calligraphy, written correspondence, and the study of historical scripts and styles. He has a particular appreciation for the written word as both a practical means of communication and an expression of form, character, and personal style—an interest he approaches as a stylophile.

Jason currently resides in Brampton, Ontario, with his partner, Jesse. Together, they share a love of travel, drawn equally to the character of unfamiliar cities and the quiet of more distant places. Their travels are shaped by curiosity, an appreciation for people and culture, and the belief that the world is best understood through experience, reflection, and the company in which it is shared.

Appointments & Distinctions

King Charles III’s Coronation Medal [2024]

Provencal/Territorial Commendation - The Venerable Order of St. John [2024]

Chancellor’s Commendation - The Venerable Order of St. John [2023]

Long Service Medal - The Venerable Order of St. John [2023]

Member, Order of St John - The Venerable Order of St. John [2020]

Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers [2018]

Grant of Armorial Bearings [2016]

Canadian Forces Decoration [2014 ] clasp for 22 years’ service [2024]

Vice Chief of the Defence Staff Commendation [2012]

Governor-General of Canada Commendation for Bravery [2004]

Honorary Fellow - The Heraldic Institute [2024]

Ufficiale - The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, House of Savoy, Italy [2023]

Fellow - The Royal Heraldry Society of Canada [2022]

Kentucky Colonel - Commonwealth of Kentucky [2022]

Freedom of the City of London - Guild Hall, City of London, United Kingdom [2021]

Meritorious Service Award - Royal Heraldry Society of Canada [2019]

Fellow - The Royal Society of Antiquaries of Scotland [2017]

Letters patent, appointing Jason a
Freeman of the City London

Community & Leadership Roles

St. John Ambulance
Board of Directors , Halton , Hamilton & Haldeman Regional Branch
Vice Chair, 2026 - present
Honours & Recognition Chair, 2020 - present
Community Services Chair, 2017 - 2020
Director, 2013 - 2017

Member of the Ceremony & Protocol - Committee, Council for Ontario, 2023 - present
Board Member, Chancellor's Communication Team, Priory of Canada, 2022 - 2024

The Equestrian, Secular & Chapterial Order of Saint Joachim
Grand Herald, 2024 - present
Commander - Canadian Sub-Commandery of Gore-Niagara, 2020 - 2024

Ancient Free & Accepted Mason of Canada
Past Master - Dufferin Lodge No. 291 A.F. & A.M., West Flamborough
‍ ‍amalgamated into Flamborough Lodge No 357 A.F. & A.M
Hamilton Chapter of Rose Croix, Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry