Gunner City: Military Presence in Guelph
March 20 @ 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Lieutenant-Colonel Miguel Ortiz-Sosa, the commanding officer of Guelph’s 11th Field Regiment, is our guest speaker. In times of conflict, Guelph and Wellington County responded to the call of collective defense every time. Lt. Col. Ortiz-Sosa will illustrate the history of the 11th Field Regiment which is the institutional representation of the Canadian Armed Forces in the city. He will illustrate the different operations in which, through the Canadian Forces, the citizens of Guelph and Wellington County have defended their nation. He will also touch on the current operations in which our citizens are making significant contributions on behalf of Canada in the international arena.
Doors open at 6:30 and the presentation starts at 7:00 pm, followed by a question period.
The lecture will premiere in-person at the Civic Museum, and online via our Facebook livestream. The recorded conversation will be available on Facebook, YouTube, and our Museum Everywhere Portal. Guelph Museums’ Military Lecture series is presented in partnership with the Laurier Centre for the Study of Canada.
About Lt. Col. Miguel Ortiz-Sosa
Lieutenant-Colonel Ortiz-Sosa was born in San Salvador, El Salvador in 1974, and immigrated to Canada in 1990 after having lived through the end of a military dictatorship and ten years of civil war. He joined the Canadian Armed Forces in February 1996 as a Private Recruit with the 7 Toronto Regiment RCA. In 2002, after being promoted to Master Bombardier, Lieutenant-Colonel Ortiz-Sosa was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant.
In 2015, then Captain Ortiz-Sosa received a Unit Commendation in recognition of “outstanding leadership and professionalism in his many roles.” Lieutenant-Colonel Ortiz-Sosa served as Battery Commander of 9 and 130 Batteries in Toronto from 2012 to 2016 and again from 2018 to 2020.
Lieutenant-Colonel Ortiz-Sosa served as the Second-In-Command of the 56 Field Regiment RCA from 2016 to 2018. As Cadet Liaison Coordinator for the regiment, he was keen to work with all three batteries in Brantford, Simcoe and St Catharines, and with the affiliated Cadet Units in Brantford, Simcoe, Fort Erie and Niagara Falls.
Lieutenant-Colonel Ortiz-Sosa served as the Deputy Commanding Officer of the 32 CBG Battle School from 2018 to 2020 while working again with the 7 Toronto Regiment RCA.
Lieutenant-Colonel Ortiz-Sosa has served as Commanding Officer of the 11th Field Regiment RCA, with Batteries in Guelph and Hamilton, since 2020. He is very proud to have served and to continue to serve with all three Artillery Units in South Western Ontario.
In civilian life, Lieutenant-Colonel Ortiz-Sosa continues a career in public service with the Ontario government that started in 1998. He is currently employed by the Children, Youth and Social Services I&IT Cluster in the maintenance and development of computer applications used to deliver social services to Ontarians. Lieutenant-Colonel Ortiz-Sosa graduated from Glendon College, York University with a Combined Honours BA in Political Science and History and from Ryerson University with a Certificate of Economic Analysis.
Lieutenant-Colonel Ortiz-Sosa is the father of four children, Miguel Andres, Lauren, Chantal and Mateo. He has also been a foster parent to over 20 children through the Halton and Hamilton Children’s Aid Societies from 2006 to 2015.
