Delano Winston Tolley
Delano is an aerospace Engineer, cattle rancher and licensed blaster, and served 38 years as a commissioned Aerospace Engineering Officer and Flight Test Engineer with the Royal Canadian Air Force, both regular and reserve, including an appointment from the Governor General as an Honourary Colonel. He served almost ten years as a Commissioner of the Alberta Human Rights Commission, with equivalent judicial status to a justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench. In 1999, Delano was top Canadian scorer at the Edinburgh Scotland NATO Reserve Officer Shooting Competition and was the first Canadian Air Force Engineer to attend the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School. He is fluent in both English and Spanish.
Delano attended Utah State University where he earned a BSc in Aeronautics, and encountered his wife of forty seven years. He did graduate work towards a Msc in Agricultural and Irrigation Engineering, and later gained certification in conflict resolution from NAIT. He provided expertise to the Air Force as a guest lecturer in ethics, a Harassment Complaint Adviser, and a grievance investigator and administrator, as well as almost twenty years as Chief of Bomb Disposal Centres. Delano holds a number of professional licenses and qualifications and belongs to a variety of professional organizations, including more than forty years with the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). As a flight test engineer at the Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment, he managed a variety of aircraft and munition test programmes and authored a number of technical engineering papers. He was awarded the Canadian Forces decoration with clasp, and the Alberta Centennial Medal, and in 2006 was honored with a life membership in the International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators.
Delano’s community service has included chair of numerous community organizations such as a school advisory council, North East Alberta Community Health Council, local Recreation and Agricultural Society, and the Regional Environmental Water Monitoring Committee. He served as a governor of the Lakeland Regional Health Authority, chair of the Beaver River Regional Waste Management Commission, and is currently chair of the Municipal Taxation Assessment Review Board as well as chair of the Municipal Subdivision and Development Appeal Board. He served one term as elected Councilor for the Municipal District of Bonnyville, and is former Chairman of the Board of the Lakeland Industry and Community Association in Bonnyville, Alberta. He serves on the Board of Directors and as Treasurer of the Foundation of Administrative Justice in Edmonton, and is an active member of the Beaver River Watershed Alliance. He is also a member of the Historical Canada Speaker’s Bureau.
He has one daughter, five grandchildren and two great grandchildren.