Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command of The Royal Canadian Legion www.ns.legion.ca 85 continued ... Bill Toussaint was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia in 1947. His mother’s family successfully made their way to Canada through the underground railway and his father immigrated from Grenada in the search for work. Toussaint grew up in a community called Whitney Pier, a diverse community filled with many different cultures. Toussaint joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1966, at the tender age of 22. With two siblings and an uncle already serving in uniform, the decision to enlist came easy, especially at a time when work was sparse in the Maritimes. “I always wanted to join the army,” he says. After completing basic training in Kingston, Ontario, Toussaint joined the 4th Artillery Regiment at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Gagetown in New Brunswick. Shortly thereafter, he began training as a vehicle technician, a trade that would eventually take him across Canada and around the world. Toussaint did most of his work on base, whether in Europe or in Canada. But he also deployed to Egypt and Israel as part of the United Nations Emergency Force Middle East, a peacekeeping mission to help maintain the ceasefire between Egyptian and Israeli forces. For three months, he was stationed at a listening post in the desert where he looked after generators and other mechanical equipment. Ten years into his service, Toussaint wanted a change and asked to become a refrigeration and mechanical system technician. “It was a highly sought after trade, there weren’t that many of us. It was the best thing I ever did.” Sergeant (Ret’d) Bill Toussaint Sydney, Nova Scotia Bill Toussaint spent 23 years in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). Little did he know switching trades would transform his military experience and inspire a second career years later.
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