Paramedics cycle Sudbury for good cause
Dozens of men and women made their way into Bell Park, Sunday mid-afternoon. They were tired during this gruelling trek but also very motivated. The cause is a personal one to everyone in uniform.
"It's important to know there are a lot of medics out there who have sacrificed their lives on the job or surrounding the job," said Annik Thibault, the founder of the ride.
Thibault is lovingly referred to as the founding father of this group. In 2015, she was the only member of the Greater Sudbury Service to do the ride.
This year dozens stepped up, from medics to doctors, nurses and other various community members.
"I think it's just like any other subject, until you're informed about it you don't really know or you don't grasp the scope of how big this is - the magnitude of it," said Thibault.
With each name they read out loud at the microphone, they rang the bell. Each individual was someone who was passionate about the job but never made it home.
"It's two-fold, one's about supporting each other in a very challenging field that takes an insidious toll and then for the actual hazard of the job," said ride organizer Jessica Ryan.
And it wasn't just medics that put their pedals to the pavement, cyclists here are raising funds to get a national memorial built.
"I'm not a Speedy Gonzales but ya it's quite awesome to see all of these people on the road and the police escort and ya it's a really great thing," said cyclist, bicycle advocate and supporter Rachelle Niemela.
"They've been the front-line in our pandemic with COVID and they've sacrificed their health, their lives, their family to do their service to the community so the least we can do is come and ride with them," said cyclist and Health Sciences North Doctor Bhanu Nalla.
The entire trek took them around the city, to Bell Park and then back to Azilda.
Most say it's worth it for a chance to raise awareness about such a worthy cause.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.