The St. Andrew's Society of Toronto will be hosting our annual Spring Dinner at The Chefs' House. This innovative restaurant operates as part of the Hospitality & Culinary Arts Program at George Brown College (GBC).

The St. Andrew’s Society is proud to work with GBC as part of our mission to support post secondary education. This event is presented in partnership with the Government of Scotland and the 48th Highlanders of Canada.

Key Details

The evening will begin with a cocktail reception at 6:30pm. Attendees will be seated for dinner at approximately 7:15pm. The three-course menu is listed below. A vegetarian option will be available at checkout for the same price as the featured option.

The dress code for this event is business casual. Kilts and tartans are always welcome but are not mandatory.

Tickets are $85 for Society members and $90 for non-members. The deadline to purchase is Friday, June 13 (while quantities last). Only 60 tickets will be available so don't delay on making your purchase!

Featured Speakers

The opening remarks on the evening will be delivered by the Head of the Scottish Government in Canada John Devine LVO, OBE.

John has represented the Scottish Government in Canada since 2022. Prior to joining the Scottish Government, John had spent most of his career in the UK Diplomatic Service. John’s substantive overseas postings have been New Delhi, Tallinn and Abu Dhabi. John was also a ‘floater’, spending three years in over a dozen diplomatic missions overseas for short periods including Russia, China, Mexico and The Falkland Islands. Roles at the Foreign Office included working on CoP26 in Glasgow, NATO policy, Heading the Civil Nuclear Team – including working on exports and investment campaigns in major markets including France, Japan and the US. John’s also worked in Counter Terrorism Department (as Lockerbie Desk Officer), United Nations Department (Balkans issues), Europe Directorate (Baltic States Desk Officer) and Consular Directorate (Head of Special Cases e.g. kidnaps and high profile cases). In his spare time, John likes to do a bit of cycling and in recent years has been hiking sections of the Camino de Santiago in Northern Spain – completing the 800km way just before his arrival in Canada.

The St. Andrew’s Society is pleased to welcome the Commanding Officer of the 48th Highlanders of Canada as our featured speaker. After completing his studies at the Royal Military College of Canada, LCol Tyler Wentzell served with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. He was then deployed as the Reconnaissance Company mentor with the Afghan National Army.

LCol Wentzell joined the 48th Highlanders in 2011 and has served in a variety of positions and domestic deployments. He is a historian and will be speaking about the 48th Highlanders involvement in the Liberation of the Netherlands in World War Two. This will include the unit's commemorative activities for the eightieth anniversary of the Liberation in early May of this year.

LCol Wentzell is pictured in the photo below with the painting of Lieutenant Colonel Donald Alexander Mackenzie. Mackenzie was the commanding officer of the 48th Highlanders of Canada in Italy and the Netherlands. He was killed during Operation Cannonshot during the Liberation of the Netherlands on the path to Apeldoorn, hence the windmill in the background of the painting.

We look forward to seeing you on June 20th. Get your ticket today!

Spring Dinner 2025