Indigenous Hockey Equipment Drive returns to Greater Sudbury
The Indigenous Hockey Equipment Drive is coming back to Greater Sudbury for the second year this Saturday.
They will be in town to distribute 150 bags of hockey equipment to five Indigenous communities in the area, Henvey Inlet, Takwa Tagamou, Atikameksheng, Wikwemikong and Espanola – while collecting more equipment for another remote First Nation community.
Graham McWaters and his wife Angie started the Indigenous Hockey Equipment Drive in 2015 after noticing families struggling at their son's hockey tournament. (Supplied/'X' formerly Twitter)The drive began in 2015, when Graham and Angie McWaters attended a hockey tournament with their son in Midland, Ont. While waiting for his son to come out of the dressing room, Graham saw Indigenous youth entering the rink with garbage bags for hockey bags and a father fixing a helmet without a mask.
Graham has said this was a signal to him that some families could use help.
"I have a passion for helping kids. I want to make sure I put as many people into sports as possible and my wife has an Indigenous background and hockey. I grew up playing hockey myself and I know it's a very expensive sport,” said Graham, at the event last year.
“And I am giving back. It's all about giving back to the community."
The first year he helped one team in one community – donating eight bags of equipment to the Beausoleil First Nation on Christian Island.
“Since that first year the equipment drive has grown,” organizers said in a news release.
“They have collected and distributed over 3,500 bags of equipment and thousands of hockey sticks to approximately 60 Indigenous communities in Ontario.”
New to this year will be a special focus on assisting an Indigenous community that is not located in Ontario. The organization is gathering gently used hockey equipment for the Chief Jimmy Bruneau Regional High School, Behchokǫ̀, located in the Northwest Territories.
“This is a very important endeavour, as the community has a rink but unfortunately nobody is using it as they don't have hockey gear,” said organizers.
In Sudbury, the drive has again partnered with Northern Hockey Academy – with Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Greater Sudbury Cubs also lending a hand.
“We are asking the hockey community in the Greater Sudbury Area to come out this Saturday morning to donate gently used hockey equipment,” the release said.
“We need everything except the following: jerseys, socks, jocks, neck guards, undergarments and goalie gear.”
The Sudbury drive with take place at Northern Hockey Academy on Kelly Lake Road from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
"The equipment we are collecting is bound for the Northwest Territories," said McWaters in an email to CTV News.
"This is the first time we are delivering equipment and collecting at the same."
For more information on the Indigenous Hockey Equipment Drive, visit their website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Speaker kicks Poilievre out of Commons over unparliamentary comments
Speaker Greg Fergus kicked Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre out of the House of Commons during question period today.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Freeland previews omnibus budget bill, proposed capital gains tax change left out
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation is the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
McGill requests 'police assistance' over pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University says it has 'requested police assistance' about the pro-Palestinian encampment on its lower field.
Judge raises threat of jail in hush money trial as he holds Trump in contempt, fines him US$9,000
Donald Trump was held in contempt of court Tuesday and fined US$9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order that barred him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and some others connected to his New York hush money case. And if he does it again, the judge warned, he could be jailed.
Court upholds Milwaukee police officer's firing for posting racist memes after Sterling Brown arrest
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a former Milwaukee police officer was properly fired for posting racist memes related to the arrest of an NBA player that triggered a public outcry.
Video captures deadly wrong-way police chase on Highway 401 in Ontario
A new video has surfaced showing a vehicle being pursued by police in the wrong direction on Highway 401 moments prior to a fatal crash that killed four people, including an infant and their grandparents.