Ride for Dad: Back on the road in the fight against prostate cancer
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The national event raises funds for research and public awareness campaign.
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Riders toured past the General campus of The Ottawa Hospital and CHEO before heading out on a long route that took them eventually to the Canadian Tire Centre, turning heads and sparking conversations about early detection and PSA testing.
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Michael Anderson, chair of the Ottawa chapter, spoke from his heart about losing his father to prostate cancer in 2021.
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'I may not have been able to save my father, but his name carries on through me and all the people that are here,' Anderson said.
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'We've raised over $43 million nationally, and we've actually donated over $8 million to that very hospital,' he said, pointing to The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre.
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'We're still in the fight together.'
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Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Poilievre happy to keep old beater running, even if it's stuck in reverse
Opinion The federal Conservatives want to kill Ottawa's electric vehicle mandate. That's their solution to the many challenges Canada faces in transitioning to a low-emissions transportation sector. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has made no secret of his disdain for the policy, which requires that all new light-duty vehicles sold in Canada by 2035 be either fully electric or plug-in hybrid. A phase-in period is scheduled to begin next year. ADRIAN WYLD / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES It's Poilievre's latest wedge issue — one he hopes will be as successful politically as the 'axe the tax' campaign he waged against the Liberal government's consumer carbon tax (which Prime Minister Mark Carney scrapped earlier this year). Granted, there are legitimate concerns with Ottawa's EV target, especially in a country with long winters, sprawling geography and a patchwork of inadequate charging infrastructure. But cancelling the mandate outright would be reckless, given what's at stake with climate change. Canada has already been experiencing the costly effects of global warming — out-of-control wildfires that are devastating communities coast-to-coast, extreme heat and more intense storms. Transportation is the second-largest source of greenhouse-gas emissions in Canada, accounting for almost a quarter of the total. About half of those emissions came from cars and light passenger trucks in 2023. If we're serious about curbing those emissions, we can't simply throw up our hands and stick with the status quo. Expecting Canadians to embrace electric vehicles, including hybrid plug-ins, en masse without ensuring affordability, reliable performance in cold weather and easy access to charging stations is putting the cart before the horse. That doesn't mean the Liberal plan is flawless. Far from it. Ottawa has set an ambitious deadline but hasn't fully equipped Canadians to meet it. Expecting Canadians to embrace electric vehicles, including hybrid plug-ins, en masse without ensuring affordability, reliable performance in cold weather and easy access to charging stations is putting the cart before the horse. For most Canadians, the biggest barrier to buying an EV today is price. While costs have come down in recent years, electric vehicles remain considerably more expensive than their gas-powered counterparts. Ottawa had an EV rebate program, but the program ran out of money. There's talk of bringing in a new one. The second challenge is performance in Canada's climate. Anyone who has driven or tested an EV in -30°C knows battery range drops significantly in the cold, sometimes by as much as 30 to 40 per cent. That's not a minor inconvenience for Canadians who live in rural or northern regions, where driving distances are longer and charging stations are few and far between. People need to know that their vehicle will get them from A to B reliably, even in the dead of winter. Manufacturers are making progress, but cold-weather performance is still a major hurdle that has to be overcome before Canadians can have full confidence in electric vehicles. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES That leads directly to the third problem: infrastructure. Canada's charging network is woefully inadequate. According to Natural Resources Canada, there are just under 30,000 public charging ports nationwide. That might sound like a lot, but the federal government estimates that Canada would need well over 600,000 charging ports by 2040 to meet the new mandate. It's not enough to have a token charging station in a small town off the highway. Drivers need the same kind of convenience they have today with gas stations — knowing they can charge quickly and get back on the road without planning their trip around charging stops. Ottawa has committed to funding more charging stations, but the pace of expansion is nowhere near what's required to meet the 2035 mandate. None of these shortcomings should surprise anyone. Transforming an entire transportation sector in a country as large and diverse as Canada is not a simple task. What's disappointing is the lack of urgency in addressing them. Rather than tackling these challenges head-on — through stronger subsidies, cold-weather technology incentives and aggressive investment in charging infrastructure — the Liberals have spent more time trumpeting the target itself. Targets don't reduce emissions. Real action does. This is where the Conservatives could play a constructive role. But instead, they've chosen the easy political path of tearing down the mandate altogether. That might be an effective vote-getter in some quarters, but it's dangerously short-sighted. It does nothing to address the broader climate crisis. We can debate the feasibility of a 2035 deadline and the phase-in period leading up to it. Maybe it needs to be pushed back to 2040 to give technology and infrastructure time to catch up. But eliminating the policy altogether would leave Canada further behind in a global transition that is already well underway. The climate crisis doesn't care about political lines or partisan preferences. It's already costing Canadians billions in disaster recovery and insurance payouts. The climate crisis doesn't care about political lines or partisan preferences. It's already costing Canadians billions in disaster recovery and insurance payouts, not to mention lives lost and communities destroyed. Canadians deserve a serious conversation about how to make this mandate workable, not a political stunt that promises a return to business as usual. That means acknowledging the obstacles and crafting solutions that ordinary people can afford and trust. Bring back meaningful subsidies. Accelerate investment in infrastructure. Incentivize research and development into cold-weather battery performance. And if the 2035 timeline proves unrealistic, adjust it. What Canada can't afford to do is simply give up. Tom BrodbeckColumnist Tom Brodbeck is a columnist with the Free Press and has over 30 years experience in print media. He joined the Free Press in 2019. Born and raised in Montreal, Tom graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and commerce. Read more about Tom. Tom provides commentary and analysis on political and related issues at the municipal, provincial and federal level. His columns are built on research and coverage of local events. The Free Press's editing team reviews Tom's columns before they are posted online or published in print – part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CTV News
6 days ago
- CTV News
Dairy Queen Blizzards help raise funds for CHEO on Miracle Treat Day
For 13-year-old Lu Oudhoff, a Dairy Queen Blizzard comes with a serving of hope. 'It's really great that we get to help them by eating ice cream, because ice cream is awesome,' said Lu. Lu knows firsthand what CHEO can do for young people. 'I had a depressive episode, and I was suffering anxiety. CHEO sort of helped me through it and made it so that I wasn't feeling so alone.' It's a feeling echoed by Lu's mom, Rose Spangers. 'For Lu to have been able to turn something that was really a very tough period for them into something that empowers them and helps them give something back to the hospital that has been such an amazing support for them throughout their mental health journey, that's been amazing,' Spangers said. This year marks 41 years of partnership between Dairy Queen and the Children's Miracle Network, with more than $55 million raised for Canadian hospitals since 1984. Miracle Treat Day Ottawa Dairy Queen stores are supporting CHEO on Miracle Treat Day. Aug. 14, 2025. 'Every year, Miracle Treat Day is held across the country as part of Children's Miracle Network and Dairy Queen locations are kind enough to donate their net proceeds from Blizzard sales to the local children's hospital,' said Steve Read, CHEO Foundation president and CEO. Supporting CHEO is something many in the community are proud to do. 'We work in construction, and we do this every year for the guys,' said DQ customer Donalda Tryon, who ordered 15 Blizzards for her crew. 'We do it at Camp Tay for Tim Hortons. We do it on McDonald's day as well, so it just helps out everyone.' Miracle Treat Day Proceeds from Dairy Queen Blizzards on Miracle Treat Day are donated to children's hospitals in Canada. (Dave Charbonneau/CTV News Ottawa) 'I think CHEO, in our community, to have that level of care for kids, we're so fortunate to have so close by,' said DQ customer Rebecca Laginski. This year, more than 660 Dairy Queen stores are supporting 13 children's hospital foundations across the country. 'This helps us give back to the community in the best way possible. To raise funds for the children, the future of our country. And raise money for all the Children's Miracle Network hospitals,' said Noman Hussain, Dairy Queen Eastern Ontario business consultant. Miracle Treat Day Supporting CHEO on Miracle Treat Day is as easy as buying a Dairy Queen Blizzard. (Dave Charbonneau/CTV News Ottawa) As for Lu, making a difference has never been so sweet. 'We literally just buy an ice cream and then bam, we're helping CHEO.'
CBC
12-08-2025
- CBC
Tennis great Monica Seles reveals her myasthenia gravis diagnosis
Monica Seles first noticed the symptoms of myasthenia gravis — a neuromuscular autoimmune disease she discussed during a recent interview with The Associated Press — while she was swinging a racket the way she'd done so many times during, and after, a career that included nine Grand Slam titles and a place in the International Tennis Hall of Fame. "I would be playing with some kids or family members, and I would miss a ball. I was like, `Yeah, I see two balls.' These are obviously symptoms that you can't ignore," Seles said. "And, for me, this is when this journey started. And it took me quite some time to really absorb it, speak openly about it, because it's a difficult one. It affects my day-to-day life quite a lot." The 51-year-old Seles, who won her first major trophy at age 16 at the 1990 French Open and played her last match in 2003, said she was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis three years ago and is speaking publicly about it for the first time ahead of the U.S. Open, which starts on Aug. 24, to raise awareness about what is known as MG. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke calls it "a chronic neuromuscular disease that causes weakness in the voluntary muscles" and "most commonly impacts young adult women [under 40] and older men [over 60] but ... can occur at any age, including childhood." How Victoria Mboko stunned the tennis world to win her 1st career title Seles said she'd never heard of the condition until seeing a doctor and being referred to a neurologist after noticing symptoms such as double vision and weakness in her arms — "just blowing my hair out ... became very difficult," she said — and legs. "When I got diagnosed, I was like, `What?!"' said Seles, who is partnering with argenx, an immunology company headquartered in the Netherlands, to promote their Go for Greater campaign. "So this is where — I can't emphasize enough — I wish I had somebody like me speak up about it." It's been three decades since Seles returned to competition at the 1995 U.S. Open, making it to the final, more than two years after she was attacked by a man with a knife at a tournament in Hamburg, Germany. "The way they welcomed me ... after my stabbing, I will never forget," Seles said about the fans in New York. "Those are the moments that stay with you." She talks about learning to live a "new normal" nowadays and characterized her health as another in a series of life steps that required adapting. "I had to, in tennis terms, I guess, reset — hard reset — a few times. I call my first hard reset when I came to the U.S. as a young 13-year-old [from Yugoslavia]. Didn't speak the language; left my family. It's a very tough time. Then, obviously, becoming a great player, it's a reset, too, because the fame, money, the attention, changes [everything], and it's hard as a 16-year-old to deal with all that. Then obviously my stabbing — I had to do a huge reset," Seles said. "And then, really, being diagnosed with myasthenia gravis: another reset. But one thing, as I tell kids that I mentor: `You've got to always adjust. That ball is bouncing, and you've just got to adjust,"' she added. "And that's what I'm doing now." WATCH | Victoria Mboko visits CBC Sports to discuss National Bank Open win: Victoria Mboko on her historic National Bank Open title and what's next 23 hours ago CBC Sports' Anastasia Bucsis chats with Victoria Mboko after her historic National Bank Open victory. The Canadian tennis star reflects on the moment, shares her goals for the future, and reveals what's next in her journey.
