Honorary Colonel - Col Tom Marlor, CD

The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment) is one of the oldest, most highly regarded and best known of all of the Militia units in Canada. We are also one of the few Militia units to bear a city's name as part of its designation. Since we were founded in 1862, many thousands of men and women have served with great pride in the RHLI, both in peace and war.

As you will read on our Regimental history page, the RHLI has sent soldiers to wars and conflicts in the 19th,20th and 21st centuries, beginning in 1866 with the Fenian Raids right here in Niagara, the Boer War in South Africa in 1900 and continuing today with the war in Afghanistan.

The RHLI supplied five battalions in World War 1. The 1st Battalion RHLI served overseas in World War 2 and was awarded its first battle honour for this war at Dieppe, France on 19 August 1942, where 197 soldiers of the Regiment died in a few hours of nightmarish action. Decorations awarded to the RHLI for Dieppe included 1 Victoria Cross, 3 Distinguished Service Orders, 4 Military Crosses, 4 Distinguished Conduct Medals, 5 Military Medals and 1 Croix de Guerre. Soldiers of the RHLI have served with distinction in Korea, with NATO in Germany, in the Balkans, Sierra Leone and now Afghanistan, on United Nations duties such as the Golan Heights and Cyprus, and also during domestic crises in Canada, such as the floods in Manitoba and the Ice Storm in Eastern Ontario and Quebec.

The RHLI has always produced well trained, competent soldiers, and dedicated, strong leaders, at both the officer and NCO levels. We have earned over many years, a reputation for doing our duty in a professional and reliable manner, such as, during the difficult and hard fighting in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany in World War 11, where the RHLI never yielded a position taken by it to enemy counterattack.

This outstanding tradition of doing its duty in the best and most competent manner is still evident today in the fine men and women who continue to serve the RHLI and Canada.

To read Col Marlor's Biography – Click Here

Commanding Officer - LCol Dan Stepaniuk, CD

LCol Dan Stepaniuk enrolled in the RHLI in 1986 as a private and became an officer-cadet in 1989. Since that time he has filled most of the key officer roles in the RHLI. In the mid 1990’s, he transferred to the Regular Force. He served with the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (3RCR), including a tour in the former Yugoslavia as part of NATOs Stabilization Force under OP PALLADIUM from 1998-1999.

Following his tour, he transferred back to the RHLI and rose to the rank of major before becoming deputy commanding officer.

From June to December 2008, he was deployed to Haiti on the United Nation’s OP MINUSTAH. As the Missions' Operations Officer, he lead the planning efforts when three back-to-back hurricanes struck Haiti causing wide-spread devastation. Later, when a girl’s school collapsed, he lead rescue efforts, entering the dangerous structure looking for survivors. His work there resulted in a Chief of the Defence Staff Commendation.

Lieutenant-Colonel Stepaniuk is a graduate of the Canadian Land Forces Command and Staff College.

In his civilian life, he is the head of the Department of Classical and International Languages at Westdale Secondary School where he teaches Latin and ancient history. He is a serving member of the Most Venerable Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem. He resides in Dundas with his wife Shelly and his three children: Kassandra, Cain, and Tatiana.

He now becomes the RHLI’s 52nd Commanding Officer.

Regimental Sergeant-Major CWO Brian Robinson, CD

CWO Robinson enlisted with The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry December 1st, 1981 and has spent his entire career with the RHLI.

His steady progression through the ranks has earned him a deserved reputation as a “soldier’s soldier” with all whom he’s served with. He moved into the senior NCO ranks when appointed Company Sergeant-Major (CSM) of B Company (Coy) in September of 2000, a position he held for an amazing seven years.

In that time, while still carrying out his duties with RHLI B-Coy, he acted as CSM of A Coy for 31 Light Infantry Battalion, a composite formation from September 2003 to September 2004; and he was CSM of the composite A Coy of 31 Brigade’s Task Force 31-06 from Sept 2005 to Sept 2006.

A career highlight was his appointment as CSM of Canada’s major northern sovereignty exercise, Op Narwhal, from January to April of 2007 in the high Arctic.

In September of 2007, he relinquished his appointment as CSM of B Company when he was appointed Drill Sergeant-Major. He was promoted Chief Warrant Officer and appointed Regimental Sergeant-Major on June 7th, 2008.