Elmira resident Clay Williams decided to take matters into his own hands after losing two brothers to suicide and having helped other members of his family work through mental illness.
For the past four years, he’s been running 750 kilometres from his home to Parliament Hill, the “Canal Pursuit for Mental Health,” to show support for those who are struggling.
More than $10,000 has been raised this year and hundreds of people have had their voices heard.
“So many people I talk to, when I told them that I lost two brothers to suicide, they would say, ‘I lost someone as well, my mom, my sister, my aunt.’ So many people have lost someone to suicide or are struggling themselves, or know someone else who is struggling with depression,” says Williams.
Helping Williams on a section of his run between Trenton and Kingston are members of CFB Trenton’s 8-Wing.
The base’s acting commander, Lt.-Col. Adam Carlson, says the stress that military members are under can often cause PTSD and affect their abilities.
“Our people are incredibly important and if they’re not doing well, then we can’t perform the great things we are doing every day. Mental health is part of that — we need to treat the mental-health issues and help people perform at their best.”
But that hasn’t always been the case. The base’s health services’ commanding officer, Lt.-Col. Rochelle Heudes, says 20 years ago, the conversation around mental health barely existed.
“It was a different time, different place. There was a lot of stigma. A lot of people didn’t come forward because they thought if they did come forward, they might be looked upon as being weak or that they would lose their job. The big thing is that over the years, we have built so much of a reputation to make sure that people can step forward.”
Williams carries a Canadian flag that has hundreds of signatures from people who support his cause and want something to be done to improve Canada’s mental-health strategy.