Michael Hopper (born March 1969) is a
Canadian Forces
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The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force.
...
officer who served as commander of the
Naval Reserve from July 29, 2018 until 2021. Hopper holds the
rank
Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as:
Level or position in a hierarchical organization
* Academic rank
* Diplomatic rank
* Hierarchy
* H ...
of
commodore
Commodore may refer to:
Ranks
* Commodore (rank), a naval rank
** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom
** Commodore (United States)
** Commodore (Canada)
** Commodore (Finland)
** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore''
* Air commodore, a ...
in the
Royal Canadian Navy
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...
and also works as a teacher with the
Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB, known as English-language Public District School Board No. 25 prior to 1999) refers to both the institution responsible for the operation of all English public schools in the city of Ottawa, Ont ...
(OCDSB).
Background
Hopper was born in
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
in March 1969 and first joined the
Primary Reserves
The Primary Reserve of the Canadian Armed Forces (french: links=no, Première réserve des Forces canadiennes) is the first and largest of the four sub-components of the Canadian Armed Forces reserves, followed by the Supplementary Reserve, the ...
in 1986 when he was 17 as a cook at
HMCS ''Carleton''.
He transferred to
HMCS ''Scotian'' in
Halifax while attending
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the fou ...
. Hopper moved back to Ottawa, where he earned his
bachelor of arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
(BA) and
bachelor of education
A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) is an undergraduate professional degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. In some countries such as Tanzania and Kenya, additional tasks like field work and research are required in order for ...
(BEd) from the
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottawa ...
in 1996 and began working with the OCDSB.
Hopper served in a number of staff positions at HMCS ''Carleton'' and in December 2001 served as the commanding officer of
HMCS ''Summerside'' until December 2002, where he took part in a trip to the
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle.
The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...
, meant to reinforce
Canadian sovereignty
The sovereignty of Canada is a major cultural matter in Canada. Several issues currently define Canadian sovereignty: the Canadian monarchy, telecommunication, the autonomy of Canadian provinces, provinces, and Canada's Arctic border.
Canada is a ...
in
Northern Canada
Northern Canada, colloquially the North or the Territories, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three Provinces_and_territories_of_Canada#Territories, territor ...
.
He was appointed ''Carleton''
's executive officer and served as the commanding officer from 2009 to 2013.
He was promoted to
commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain.
...
following his time at ''Carleton'' and served in a number of positions at
National Defence Headquarters
National Defence Headquarters (NDHQ) ( French: ''Quartiers généraux de la Défense nationale'' (''QGDN'')) was created through the integration of Canadian Armed Forces Headquarters (CAF HQ) with the civilian Department of National Defence (DN ...
(NDHQ) until his promotion to commodore and appointment as the commander of the Naval Reserve on July 28, 2018.
While commanding the Naval Reserve, Hopper is on leave from his job as the special education teacher at
Elmdale Public School Elmdale may refer to:
Places
;United States
* Elmdale, Indiana
* Elmdale, Kansas
* Elmdale, Michigan
* Elmdale, Minnesota
Elmdale is a city in Morrison County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 114 at the 2020 census. Geography
Accor ...
,
and lives in Ottawa with his wife and their two children.
Awards and decorations
Hopper's personal awards and decorations include the following:
References
1969 births
Canadian admirals
Living people
Military personnel from Ottawa
Officers of the Order of Military Merit (Canada)
University of Ottawa alumni
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