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
Weather alerts issued for 7 provinces, 1 territory
Warnings of up to 60 millimetres of rain and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces and one territory ahead of the Easter weekend.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Luxury cruise line selling world cruise suite for US$1.7 million
Luxury operator Regent Seven Seas Cruises is raising their price tag to eye-watering levels, with a suite on an upcoming 140-day world voyage costing US$1.7 million.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
A Filipino villager is nailed to a cross for the 35th time on Good Friday to pray for world peace
A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.
Ontario homeowner on the hook for $27,000 when contractor severed power line
An Ontario man who built a garage on his property has been locked in a battle with his electricity provider for a year and half over a severed power line.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
'Oppenheimer' finally premieres in Japan to mixed reactions and high emotions
'Oppenheimer' finally premiered Friday in the nation where two cities were obliterated 79 years ago by the nuclear weapons invented by the American scientist who was the subject of the Oscar-winning film. Japanese filmgoers' reactions understandably were mixed and highly emotional.