Rallying for the Rutherfords: Former Cape Breton police officer needs medical flight

Family and friends of a former Cape Breton police officer are rallying to help him return home after he suffered a sudden medical crisis.

Walter Rutherford, 69, a retired superintendent with the Cape Breton Regional Police Service, was taken to hospital on Sept. 8 while he was visiting family in Ottawa.

Initially treated for a gall bladder issue, he subsequently suffered a series of major medical setbacks and has been in the intensive-care unit ever since with his wife, Cathy Rutherford, by his side.

Shelley Bennett Trifos, who is Cathy Rutherford’s first cousin, said they are hoping that Rutherford can return to Sydney to recover once his condition is stabilized. However, the specialized medical flight required would cost approximately $50,000.

So, family members and friends, including Rutherford’s former police colleagues, have launched a fundraising effort to cover the medical transport expenses.

On Saturday, a benefit dance will be held in the concourse at Centre 200 in Sydney from 7-10 p.m. The event will feature live music from the band 119 Ashby Road, a silent auction and a cash bar.

A GoFundMe page has also been set up (https://www.gofundme.com/f/bring-walter-and-cathy-rutherford-home), and people can also donate to a special account at the Cape Breton Credit Union on Prince Street.

Bennett Trifos described the response from the community as “beyond overwhelming.”

“People are coming forward who haven’t even been asked. They’ve heard that Walter and Cathy are experiencing a really challenging time right now and they’re coming forward to offer whatever they can to assist. We live in an absolutely remarkable place and they talk about the goodness and the kindness of Cape Bretoners, and they are coming through in one massive and impressive way,” said Bennett Trifos, who noted that the couple has faced profound personal tragedy over the last four years.

Their son, Trevor Rutherford, died on Nov. 26, 2022, at age 34. Then, their only remaining child, Mark Rutherford, died suddenly at home on May 6, 2025, due to a cardiac event. He was 40 years old.

“They lost both their sons. Trevor was a very welcome and pleasant fixture at many of the sporting events in Sydney and the surrounding areas. He had muscular dystrophy and Walter and Cathy gave him an absolutely extraordinary life. As did their son Mark. Mark rolled up his sleeves and he was a really phenomenal brother to Trevor. But they lost both of them and it’s been a really, really trying time,” said Bennett Trifos.

“It’s just been very unfortunate.”

Interim Cape Breton Regional Police Chief Stephen MacKinnon has known Rutherford for more than 20 years and described him as a “great person; great community person.”

Their professional relationship developed when they shared investigative files when MacKinnon worked in the drug section and Rutherford was in the major crime unit.

They eventually built a friendship that extended from the police station to area golf courses and hockey rinks where MacKinnon quickly realized how deeply involved Rutherford was in the broader community outside of policing.

“Walter and I have been around hockey rinks, we’ve been around golf courses for many years, and sometimes when you just watch you see the interaction of how many people Walter actually knows in the community,” MacKinnon said. “He’d say ‘I was on a board with this person,’ or ‘This is a friend I met through policing,’ or ‘I helped this person out in this manner.’ It is massive in terms of the people that he is connected, not only just in the police circle but in the community circle. It kind of gives you a little fuller of picture of who Walter is as a person, not just from the police kind of lens.

“He would quietly sit on boards that you wouldn’t know Walter sat on. But that’s Walter. He’s not a person that would talk about what he did or what he was a part of — he would just quietly do it.”

MacKinnon said Rutherford also carried his grief in silence following the death of his sons.

“Walter in his 30-plus year career as a police officer to the rank of superintendent, he would have experienced so many tragedies and so many things through his line of work. And what that does in policing is it builds that kind of thicker skin and resilience, but when it comes personally at home I know how that impacted him. He and his wife Cathy. Police officers usually kind of shield that to the rest of the world and the rest of society and kind of look at it internally in their own home. I’ve known Walter a long time and so when I did see him he would always have the brave face and always had a smile and a handshake or a hug. But knowing him over the course of 20 years, I know how that would have affected him personally and there’s certain things you can help with and certain things that you just sort of watch from the sidelines. But he was in all of our thoughts afterwards.”

Similarly, MacKinnon noted that the entire Cape Breton Regional Police Service is rallying behind the Rutherford family during their former colleague’s health battles, with support spanning from veteran officers who served alongside him to the force’s newest recruits.

“I just sent an internal message about the GoFundMe page and the upcoming dance in support of Walter and Cathy. That internal message, what it does is create a conversation. We’ve hired so many people in the last number of years that wouldn’t have worked with Walter, but they all have families, they all are police officers and they all know the connectivity that goes with that,” MacKinnon said. “So it brings back old memories for the people who have been around here for the last 15, 20-plus years and it turns into stories and memories of certain events or the investigative work that Walter was heavily involved with over the years. Eventually everybody here will be in that kind of situation so it’s to recognize any officers that are going through some health challenges or even some personal challenges not to forget them.”

Bennett Trifos said the Rutherfords are both deeply moved by the community’s support.

“When I spoke to Cathy, she said ‘I’m not often short of words but I am overwhelmed, humbled and grateful.’ It’s leaving her speechless. Both of them are overwhelmed,” she said.

“Whenever I ask her what she needs, she asks for prayers. Cathy and Walter are always on the giving end, and ask for nothing.”

In addition to serving as a police officer for more than 40 years, Walter Rutherford has been a longtime community volunteer and member of the hockey community.

He began his career with the former Sydney police department in 1977 and worked his way up from foot patrol to major crime. He worked on more than 25 homicide investigations throughout his career, including the infamous 1992 Big Ben’s Murder, and was the officer who handcuffed Ernest Gordon Strowbridge nearly 10 years after he brutally stabbed clerk Marie Lorraine Dupe to death at the Sydney convenience store.

After retiring as a superintendent with the Cape Breton Regional Police Service, Rutherford served as president and GM of the Sydney Mitsubishi Rush team in the Nova Scotia Under-18 Major Hockey League.

In addition to overseeing the transition and rebrand from the Cape Breton Building Trades Council Tradesmen, Rutherford was instrumental in helping the team land the hosting rights to Hockey Canada’s Telus Cup national under-18 hockey championship in 2021.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the tournament in both 2020 and 2021, but the Rush ultimately hosted the 2024 Telus Cup in Membertou.

• Benefit Concert: Oct. 24, 7-10 p.m. at the Centre 200, featuring live music by 119 Ashby Road, a silent auction, and a cash bar.
• Tickets are $20 each, and can be purchased from Trifos Design Consultants on Cromarty Street; M&M Food Market on Prince Street; the Membertou Skate Shop; Larry MacLean (902-304-8065); Carol Bennett (902-565-7342); Jeanette Thompson (902-564-9556); or Shelley Bennett Trifos (902-565-6017).
• GoFundMe: A page has also been set up at https://www.gofundme.com/f/bring-walter-and-cathy-rutherford-home.
• In-Person: People can visit the Cape Breton Credit Union on Prince Street and donate to a special account set up for Walter and Cathy Rutherford