Recipient: Cst. Terry Wilson

Occupation: RCMP Officer

Location: Canora, Saskatchewan

Date: November 16th, 2019

 

On October 25th, 2018 I received a nomination from a woman named Alissa Wilson. It was around this time that we received a number of other nominations as a result of a newsletter promotion through our travel partners Vacations For Heroes, but there was something about Alissa’s email that stood out. 

 

She was nominating her husband, RCMP officer of 22 years (now 23), Cst. Terry Wilson. 

 

Our nomination form is comprehensive, it takes a lot of time, thought and energy to focus on the person you are nominating. You have to formulate how you really feel about them, their work, where they’d like to go, etc. This is easier said than done. Until you have to articulate something like that to a stranger, it’s easy to get by thinking you have all your ducks in a row, and its evident to that supposed stranger if you don’t. But Alissa did, and I could get a sense immediately how special her husband was to her, how much she loved him and their family. Considerable time was spent filling out her nomination, and large portions of what I say here are directly from that submission.

 

Terry possesses the selflessness often found instilled in a person who does his line of work. He joined the RCMP at 19 years of age and rose the ranks very quickly, displaying notable dedication and commitment to the communities he worked in. RCMP officers often differ from local police departments in that their covered areas are usually vast in comparison, especially in small rural towns where highways, range roads, and widely dispersed properties in the country are their responsibility. This presents the all too unpleasant opportunity to respond to major highway collisions, farm accidents, and other obscure occurrences never heard about on the local news. Terry led teams of officers into drug raids, house parties, domestic disputes and what must be an uncountable number of troubling circumstances over his 20+ year career. A particular note of interest is that Terry was part of a team that issued the first Amber Alert in Saskatchewan, an event in which the child was successfully found and returned home to his parents. 

 

Something happened on January 29th, 2017 that would change Terry’s life. After a complaint of an erratic driver was called into the Canora RCMP detachment in the early morning hours, Terry, who was a Sergeant at the time, was charged with impaired driving. 

 

The incident was unfortunately misconstrued in a variety of ways, making it sound like Terry was deliberately out to harm the community and disregard public safety. His truck broke a tie rod on icy winter roads causing him to mount a curb. When the police showed up he was standing outside the vehicle, and the impaired charge was laid as a result of consequent investigation. This is not to justify Terry’s impairment, as he obviously should not have been driving at the time. However, the story in its entirety is much different then the careless person portrayed in the news reports from two years ago. The Wilson’s endured considerable slander from local individuals and media outlets that insisted on disregarding the multiplicities of the event, some of which I’ll touch on now. 

 

That day began a tailspin of punishment, reflection and recovery. Terry attended a treatment centre to start the process of unravelling the root causes of this incident, and it was during treatment that he came to terms with the work related PTSD that had been affecting him for a long time. Every first responder out there has to see and deal with things most of us could not even contemplate. They sign up to deal with them first hand so we don’t have to, and the repercussions of that inch out into their lives in sometimes debilitating and devastating ways.

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After treatment, the RCMP demoted Terry from Sergeant to Constable, and he has been sober ever since, learning to put himself first more and place a bigger emphasis on his health. He has also been able to use his past as a way of reaching out to other first responders who may be struggling with similar problems, and help them find avenues of health, wellness and recovery.

 

Terry is going on his fourth year of coaching curling as well as Canora’s bantam boys baseball team. He also volunteers with youth at their local golf course, teaching them different skills and how to play the game. He is loved by his community, and makes a conscious effort to be a part of it not just through his work, but every facet of his life. 

 

From the time I got the submission, to when I met Terry, Alissa and their four beautiful children last week…the great story of people has constantly flooded through my mind. The story of a true hero, who selflessly serves and provides, who falls on hardship and is knocked down, who gets back up and continues to do his best not just for himself, but for all the people around him and those he loves. 

 

All Units Abroad is not about finding perfect people, there aren’t any to find anyways. It is about celebrating the very real realities of first responders. It is about recognizing people like Terry who have dedicated their life to our safety, peace and freedom…and on behalf of Canada, we thank you indefinitely for it. It was such a pleasure to be welcomed into your home, and meet the humble man, woman and children behind this story.

 

Cst. Terry Wilson and his wife, Alissa will be travelling to New York City January 10-17, 2020, and we can’t wait to see their pictures and hear about the experience. 

 

A special thanks to Erin Zemmar and Vacations For Heroes for arranging the trip and donating a significant portion of their time, effort and money to this reward. Also, to the Canadians across the country who helped us through donation and support of the recipients. Thank you.

 

For Cst. Terry Wilson.

 

In strength,

Eric Lister

Director, All Units Abroad