William Wilkerson

Obituary of William (Bill) E. Wilkerson

William (Bill) E. Wilkerson, LL.D. (Hon)

March 10, 1942 – January 26, 2025


Bill Wilkerson died suddenly at his home in Port Hope. He left behind his beloved wife of 37 years, Olga Cwiek, nieces Kelly, Kathy, Kim and nephews Ken and Kevin.

Born and raised in Niagara Falls, he lived in Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto before he and Olga moved to Port Hope. He loved his new home and became a strong advocate for community issues to the end.

Bill was kind, generous, encouraging, inventive, insightful, fearless, and brilliant on so many levels. He had that rare combination of intelligence, energy, and authenticity. What made him exceptional is that he wanted to make a difference, and he did.

His success was built on his “can do determination”. His education came from his life experiences, and that inspired many people he met and worked with. Though Bill didn’t graduate from high school, years later he cherished the Honourary Doctor of Law degree he was awarded from McMaster University for his extraordinary professional and life achievements. 

Bill’s unusual background in journalism, communications, crisis management and business gave him unique skills to become a Canadian pioneer and innovator for Mental Health in the Workplace. Bill was the first in Canada to seriously address the problem and make it a board room Issue. He will be remembered as the person who helped reshape our attitudes and commit new resources to address this growing mental health challenge. 

He was a gifted communicator who constantly motivated others. He spoke in over 150 venues throughout Canada, United States, Europe and the Middle East. At the end of a speech, it was extraordinary to see people line up to talk openly about their depression – many of them for the first time.

Bill reinvented himself every few years. He was Director of Communications at both IT&T and CBC, English. He worked at all three levels of government. He was especially proud to have helped make the Sky Dome a reality and was a key figure in moving the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame to its new downtown home.

He then co-founded CorpWorld, a crisis management company that worked with sports, legal, corporate and non-profit organizations. He was the six-month interim Executive Director of Roy Thomson Hall during its financial crisis. He acted as the NHL spokesperson during the players’ strike and developed life lasting friendships with both players and management.

Bill also served as a highly valued advisor to the RCMP Senior Executive team and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. His contributions led to his subsequent recruitment and swearing in as a civilian employee of the RCMP. He was immensely proud to wear the RCMP Regimental Blazer.

Bill discovered his life mission during the time he was the Transitional President of Liberty Health where he read a study from Harvard which predicted that Mental Health would be a dominant health issue within 20 years. He had found his calling.

Bill then founded The Global and Business Roundtable on Mental Health. Former Finance Minister, Michael Wilson, joined later as Chairman. Together they developed The Business Plan to Defeat Depression and from that start, Mental Health became a talking point in board rooms across Canada. Twenty years on, Bill co-founded Mental Health International from where he continued his advocacy globally. He never stopped helping people fight for better mental health. He was a mentor and a warrior to those in need.   

He reflected with both humour and humility on some of the remarkable people he had crossed paths with which included Presidents, Prime Ministers, Premiers, hockey and baseball greats, Hollywood stars, influential business leaders and giants in medical science.

Bill always said that none of the above could have been accomplished without the support of his wife Olga, his partner, soulmate and his rock. Bill and Olga met in Vancouver when they both worked for the CBC and it was love on the first date. For their 35th anniversary Bill took singing lessons and made a very special video singing “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You”. He also loved all their pets through the ages, not as much as he loved Olga, but close.

Bill was ahead of his time and was destined to do great things. He led a life dedicated to others and made a difference to so many. Against all odds he helped to build a solid foundation for Mental Health support for generations to come.

A private interment will be held for family and close friends. A Celebration of the gift of having Bill in our lives will occur in the spring which Bill so loved.

In lieu of flowers please consider a memorial donation to Community Health Centres of Northumberland, Mental Health located in Port Hope.

Mental Health International: mentalhealthinternational.ca

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