Caleb Nickerson
SHAWVILLE Oct. 4, 2017
A Canadian Forces veteran travelling across Canada to raise awareness for first-responders and other veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) passed through Shawville on Oct. 4.
Trevor Sanderson was a soldier with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry stationed in CFB Calgary from 1990 to 1994. He was released and went to work in Alberta’s oilfields as an industrial insulator. When the price of oil dropped and work dried up, he moved to Sydney N.S. and last year he ended up homeless for a time.

The tribulations he faced during that time drove him to become an advocate for the underprivileged.
He said the purpose of his walk is to raise awareness about the services available to the impoverished and homeless in Canada, especially veterans and first-responders with PTSD.
“I started doing research on homelessness and the struggles people go through,” he said. “I’ve stayed at pretty much every shelter between here and Sydney, Nova Scotia.”
He began on June 3 and said he averages about 25 to 30 km per day, lugging his 70 lb. military-issue rucksack.
“I take stories from low-income families and I actually show what’s going on,” he continued, describing the difficulty many people with mental illness face. “There are these services out there but how many are accessible to the average Canadian having troubles?”
He said his next stop after Shawville would be Pembroke and eventually CFB Petawawa.
“I don’t really have a set route, I just go,” he said with a laugh.
He was joined for this leg of the journey by Shane Sackaney and Gerald Lavallee, two fellow travellers trudging their way to North Bay.
Though his route is rather circuitous, Sanderson hopes to make it all the way out to British Columbia.
More information on Sanderson’s journey can be found on his Facebook group: CANADIANS joining with CANADIANS.