MBoT Member Spotlight - Ray Mikkola of Pallett Valo Honoured by Ontario Lt. Gov. David Onley
(Mississauga Board of Trade Magazine - Volume Four, Issue 3, 2009)
The Last Post Fund (LPF), celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2009, is a non-profit organization that to date has assisted thousands of families of Canadian war veterans with funeral expenses.
Lieutenant Colonel Ray Mikkola has been presented with the Last Post Fund Long Service Medal by Ontario Lieutenant Governor David Onley. For 15 years, retired LCol. Ray Mikkola, vice-president of the Ontario Branch of the LPF, and a partner with
"All of us at Pallett Valo are fiercely proud of Ray and his work at the Last Post Fund," said Anna Esposito, managing partner at Pallett Valo. "Ray Mikkola is a great leader and that's the type of person we want to keep attracting to our law firm."
The Last Post Fund administers the Funeral and Burial Program on behalf of Veterans Affairs Canada. The fund provides financial assistance to cover the costs of a funeral director, casket (or cremation and urn), a marker as well as other funeral expenses, to a dignified standard, to families of eligible Canadian war veterans.
LCol. Mikkola retired from the Canadian Armed Forces as Commanding Officer of the 7th Toronto Regiment, R.C.A., in the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. He was awarded the Canadian Forces Decoration (with bar) for service to
He is a member of the Military Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association and is the chair of the National Real Property Section of the Canadian Bar Association. LCol. Mikkola joined Pallett Valo in 2004 after 14 years at a large national business law firm, became partner on January 1, 2006, and now heads Pallett Valo's Commercial Real Estate Practice. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1988.