Swift Current City Building Attendant and International Swimmer credits Special Olympics with helping him get his job

“It was amazing to have everybody kind of like myself in one environment,” said City of Swift Current employee Tyler Servant, about the time he swam for Team Canada at the Special Olympics World Games 2023, “it was one of the best experiences I’d ever had!”

Now an important building attendant for his city and a world-class athlete, Tyler Servant’s Special Olympics journey—which he says directly helped him in his path towards fulfilling paid work—all started because of a chance encounter.

“My mom and I met my swim coach at a grocery store 14 years ago,” he recalled, “she said I should come out and try swimming.”

Tyler added he wasn’t sure how Jackie—the woman who has now been coaching him for over 14 years—originally figured out he would be a good fit for Special Olympics.

“But somehow we got there,” he said, “and I’ve been doing it ever since!”

A swimmer, five-pin bowler, and baseball player within Special Olympics Saskatchewan, Tyler Servant represented his country at the Special Olympics World Games 2023 in Berlin, Germany as part of the 4x150m men’s relay team. He also competed in the Canada Summer Games 2017 as a swimmer and was an athlete assistant to the coach during the 2025 Canada Summer Games.

“Now I can give back the opportunities I was given,” Tyler said, “so I can do that with the younger athletes and being a mentor in their Special Olympics careers.”

When the City of Swift Current wanted to hire someone with a disability, Tyler was hired as a gardener over the summer. The City was impressed by the good work he did, and over the last five years his role “snowballed” into a truly vital job that ensures multiple City buildings are operational.

Tyler works as a year-round, full-time seasonal labourer for five different facilities owned by the City of Swift Current. He run the maintenance of Swift Current’s community centre, and when his daily tasks are done there, he goes to help at the hockey arena, as well as the rec centre, a second arena, and the library.

Tyler fixes any part of the buildings that need repairs or touch-ups, including doors, bathroom stalls, toilets, guardrails, and anything else that might end up broken. He also cleans the facilities and keeps them topped up with supplies such as toilet paper. During the winter, he will put in overtime hours to shovel snow and make sure the city’s buildings are accessible, even during the weekends.

“I work 8 hours every day [five days a week],” Tyler said, “and I work alone for about 7 and a half of those hours. […] They put a lot of trust in me, but it’s good to have that trust.”

Tyler added that his favourite thing about his job is the level of trust The City of Swift Current gives him, and the autonomy he has to complete his work.

“I don’t have to phone or ask for permission,” he said, “I think that’s what I look forward to, because I can work at my pace, and that’s really good for me because it keeps me more focused than I would be.”

Saying that he struggled with anxiety when he was younger, Tyler has been doing public speaking for years with Special Olympics Saskatchewan to promote the movement that helped him.

Written By: Callum Denault, Special Olympics Canada Athlete and Staff Member

October is Disability Employment Awareness Month – an annual reminder of the pressing need for equal employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. It is a time to recognize and celebrate the unique talents and contributions that individuals with diverse abilities bring to the workforce.