By Shelley Winger
A cross-country campaign focused on PTSD and mental health made a stop at the Royal
Canadian Legion Branch 176 in Morinville on Aug. 7, bringing people together for
conversations, connections and access to mental-health resources.
Sea to Sea for PTSD thanked the Morinville Legion, also known as The Fox Hole, for hosting
the group during its recent stop.
The organization said the evening included conversations surrounding mental health,
opportunities to meet people connected with Sgt. John R. Little, and new connections within
the community. Resources were also left behind for people who were unable to attend.
Chad Kennedy, a Canadian Armed Forces veteran and medically retired Alberta Sheriff
Highway Patrol officer, is behind the Sea to Sea campaign. Kennedy has shared his own
experience with PTSD and the challenges he faced in seeking help.
“I share my story of PTSD as a veteran and medically retired Highway Patrol Sheriff,”
Kennedy said.
For Kennedy, sharing that experience is part of an effort to encourage others to speak
openly about their own mental health.
“It’s all about helping another person through their darkest times and providing resources,”
he said.
The 2026 Sea to Sea journey officially began in Sarnia, Ont., on June 1, with the team
travelling toward Vancouver Island, where it plans to arrive by the end of September. The
campaign is focused on raising awareness of PTSD and mental health and supporting
public-safety personnel, military members and veterans.
Kennedy has worked in law enforcement since 2004, most recently with the Alberta Sheriff
Highway Patrol. According to his biography on the Sea to Sea website, he was diagnosed
with PTSD and anxiety in 2018 and later experienced a post-traumatic stress injury after
responding to the Columbia Icefields bus crash in July 2020.
His experience eventually led him to seek intensive therapy and share his story publicly,
with the goal of encouraging others to ask for help.
The organization says its 2026 campaign is also raising funds for mental-health initiatives
involving public-safety personnel and military and veteran communities. This year’s
campaign includes an education-focused fund for children who have lost a parent to suicide
in those communities.
During the Morinville visit, the Sea to Sea team also connected with people who knew or
were connected to Sgt. John R. Little. A poster displayed at the Legion honours Little’s life
and military service and lists his dates as Aug. 7, 1985, to Nov. 22, 2021.
The Morinville Legion provided a setting for those conversations and connections, while the
Sea to Sea team continued its broader journey across the country.
For Kennedy, the message behind the campaign remains simple: people struggling with
mental health should not feel they have to face it alone.