‘Canoe for Every Child’ paddlers close completing journey
A pair of Northern Ontario women are well on their way in their canoe journey from Sault Ste. Marie to Spanish. Paige Simon and Lue Mahaffey set out in their orange canoe last Friday as they launched their "Canoe For Every Child" campaign, with a goal of raising money for First Nations water issues as well as raising awareness of residential schools.
The pair began their journey near the former Shingwauk Residential School in the Soo, and they're paddling along the shores of Lake Huron to the former residential school in Spanish. Recent stormy weather and choppy waters forced the pair to take an unscheduled break near Serpent River.
"A few nights ago when were coming out of Thessalon First Nation, it was pretty bad," says Simon. "It was very wavy, and we had to, like, make an emergency landing on an island and stay there for the night."
"Today was the first day that it just wasn't safe to even go on the water," adds Mahaffey. "Thunderstorms coming in. We've got a tarp over our tent just to try to keep us a little bit extra dry. But we're kind of camping out until it clears a little."
Until this latest setback, Simon says the weather has been very cooperative.
"The weather has been in our favour for sure," she says. "We're actually way ahead of schedule and we're getting to our destination way sooner than we expected to be."
The pair says they have reached the halfway point of their $75,000 fundraising goal, which they will donate to "Water First," - an organization working to address drinking water challenges on First Nations.
Simon and Mahaffey are updating their "Canoe For Every Child" campaign regularly on their Facebook page, where information on how to donate to the cause can also be found.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.