Circumstances Surrounding Giles' Death Shouldn't Tarnish His Life

(Aired on May 19, 2010)

It may seem odd to you that we are devoting time to reporting on a man's suicide today.  It may seem just as odd that RCMP held a special news conference this morning to address a man's suicide.  Gord Giles took his own life last week, a tragedy that has shocked and saddened the entire community.  I can completely see why the public would feel that the police news conference this morning was inappropriate, and would find the media's coverage the same.  But in fact, the response is the right thing to do.

Police have a general policy against reporting suicides and the same holds true for those of us in the news media.  It's an incredibly sensitive subject and one that is extremely difficult for a family to deal with - even without publicity.

However, circumstances like those that surround Giles' death dictate that it can't be kept quiet.  RCMP had no choice but to talk about the investigation into Giles' activities and the resulting admission of guilt.  The question surrounding the man's death would then become unavoidable.  This morning's news conference dealt with the entire sad situation respectfully and with dignity.  It also did not shy away from the wrongdoing that preceded.  Inspector Yves Lacasse and Mayor Peter Milobar should receive a great deal of credit for that. 

It also must be said that Gord's family wanted the press conference to happen, and participated in it.  They had heard some of the nasty rumours that had started making the rounds and they wisely determined that putting those rumours to rest was the right thing to do.  They will deal with the pain of the public scrutiny today but won't have to endure outrageous rumours ever again.

The rest of us should not let tragic end of Gord's life affect the way we remember him.  Though he did make a mistake, he was a proud and good man, and worked harder than most of us to make Kamloops a community to be proud of.