$113,000 raised in Lachine Polar Bear Challenge

By Chelsey St-Pierre

Senior officers from numerous police forces and law enforcement agencies jumped into the icy waters of the Lachine Canal on Saturday for the 16th annual Polar Bear Challenge.

Organized by the Peace Officers Torch Run and volunteer officers from the Montreal Police service (SPVM), the Lachine edition raised nearly $113,000 this year for the benefit of Special Olympics Quebec.

Three-hundred participants including elected officials, Lachine mayor Maja Vodanovic; Ian Lafrenière, Member of Parliament for Vachon and Minister responsible for Relations with First Nations and Inuit, Enrico Ciccone, deputy for Marquette and Sterling Downey, City Councilor and member of the Agglomeration Council, jumped for the cause.

On the verge of jumping, SPVM deputy chief Marc Charbonneau, told The Suburban that police officers are happy to support programs that promote inclusivity.

“The police services that put this on across Quebec are phenomenal. This is a great way for them to show what they are doing in giving back to the community,” Downey, who has jumped for the cause eight years in a row, told The Suburban.

Moments away from jumping for his fourth consecutive year, Ciccone told The Suburban that he was excited to be present again this year. “These kids are our heroes!”

Police tech students from John Abbott College greeted the jumpers as they came out of the water with thermal blankets and hot beverages as they entered the chalet.

Hundreds of attendees gathered with hot chocolate and snacks at the shore of the St. Lawrence River at the new Lachine riverside park, on Iroquois Road, to encourage the participants.

The funds raised will be used to finance health programs as well as weekly supervised sports activities throughout the year for Quebec athletes with intellectual disabilities or autism.

Sylvain Chevalier, provincial director of the Torch Race, challenged this reporter to participate in the jump next year “It is a little bit cold,” he said. n

$113,000 raised in Lachine Polar Bear Challenge Read More »