01/29/2026
It is with heavy hearts that we announce that Garth Walmsley, CEO and founder of Walmsley EFAP, passed away recently after a two-year battle with cancer. Walmsley and Validity Counselling worked closely together, and his loss is felt greatly by the Validity team.
Garth started Walmsley & Associates in 1992 and operated out of the Royal Bank building until 2001, when he purchased the house on Queensway. I began working for Garth in 2006, with a plan to work there for only a few years. However, Garth was so easy to work for, client-centred, respectful, and kind, that 13 years flew by, and I was still there.
Garth relocated to the Island in 2006 and expanded his business throughout the province. He began to focus solely on Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) clients, and offered to sell me the private practice side of the business, while continuing to contract with me to see his EFAP clients in PG. Thus, Validity Counselling was born.
The reason Walmsley EFAP has been so successful is because of Garth’s focus on client service, and doing the right thing for all people involved. He was gentle, compassionate, and although he was very much a business man, he always put people and relationships first.
I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to know and work with Garth, and he positively impacted my life in so many ways. Three years ago, he brought Rob Baker into the business, as his succession plan. In Rob, Garth hired a man very much like himself; a man dedicated to the principles of caring, compassion, honesty and integrity. He picked a wonderful successor, and it has been and will continue to be an honor to work with Rob and with Walmsley EFAP. I know that Rob will continue to carry on Garth’s legacy, and we at Validity will continue to honor Garth in our work with EFAP clients in Prince George and
surrounding areas.
All of us at Validity are deeply saddened by Garth’s passing, and we extend our condolences to his family and friends.
In gratitude,
Jenny DeReis & the Validity Team
