Key Influencer Profile: Paul Wynnyk

Born in Edmonton and raised in the rural village of Breton, Wynnyk is the former Vice Chief of Defence Staff for the Canadian Armed Forces and current Deputy Minister of Health for the provincial government. Education was important to Wynnyk’s family, and as such he pursued his education within the military. He attended the Royal Roads Military College and the Royal Military College of Canada, where he earned a baccalaureate in civil engineering and master’s degrees in both war studies and business administration. He went on to be commander of Land Force Western Area, Deputy Commander of the Canada Army, Commander of the Canadian Forces Intelligence Commend, Chief of Defense Intelligence, Chief of the Army Staff, Commander of the Canadian Army, and lastly as Vice Chief of Defense Staff after which he retired from the military in 2019.

Throughout his 38 years in service, Wynnyk rose to the rank of Lieutenant-General and served on tours and commands overseas in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Congo, and Germany. He is highly decorated, with multiple Order of Merit medals, medals from each overseas location he served at as well as multiple from the UN, for a total of 16 various medals and commendations.

In 2019, Wynnyk became a public servant with the Government of Alberta when he was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs. He was recently shuffled into the position of Deputy Minister of Health in May. In his last role, he was appointed by the Premier to lead the province’s COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force where he directed the distribution of vaccines across the province. Wynnyk’s military experience no doubt is what led to him to be so successful with the vaccine roll out and his most recent promotion. No matter what reservations people may have with the Alberta Government’s elected leadership, Wynnyk is going to be a strong leader within the Minister of Health as the Deputy Minister.