'It's fantastic': Motorcycle Ride for Dad sets new fundraising record
West Winnipeg was filled with the sounds of more than a thousand engines revving at once, as motorcycle enthusiasts gathered to ride for a good cause Saturday.
It was the 15th annual Motorcycle Ride for Dad, with more than 1200 riders taking part. All funds raised will stay in Manitoba for prostate cancer research and education. Spokesperson Trevor Kennerd said the event has become important to Manitobans."We're all touched by cancer. We all are. My mother died of cancer, I had an aunt that passed away from cancer," said Kennerd.
He added that one in every eight Canadian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. "If you're a male over the age of 45 you should get checked," Kennerd said.
Starting from Earls Polo Park, motorcycle riders rode west in a police-escorted parade down Portage Avenue to Assiniboia Downs, then north to Selkirk, Gimli and back. The day-long event ended with a wind-up celebration at Cowboys, Canad Inns Windsor Park.
The Manitoba Motorcycle Ride for Dad is led by the Winnipeg Police Association with the volunteer organizing committee made up of Winnipeg police officers, firefighters, community and business leaders, and dedicated citizens.
Kennerd has been on the organizing committee for 14 of the 15 years the ride has been happening. He said it's always an incredible experience. "Just the friendship and the fellowship that we have as a committee is phenomenal," he said. "And the outpouring of support that we get from the people, from the riders, from the pledge donors, from the sponsors. It's fantastic!"
A motorcycle raffle contributed to the final fundraising total, netting over $50,000 on its own. The winner will receive their choice of a 2023 Harley-Davidson Pan American Special, a 2023 BMW R1250 GSA, or $25,000 in cash.
Kennerd said Saturday's fundraising total was close to $500,000, a new record for the event. The Motorcycle Ride for Dad has now raised more than $4 million for prostate cancer research in Manitoba.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Freeland introduces bill to remove GST off rental developments, amend competition law
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland introduced legislation this morning that would remove GST charges from new rental developments and update the country's competition law.
In a first, RNA is recovered from extinct Tasmanian tiger
Researchers said on Tuesday they have recovered RNA from the desiccated skin and muscle of a Tasmanian tiger stored since 1891 at a museum in Stockholm.
India suspends visa services for citizens of Canada, tells it to cut its diplomats
India halted all visa services for citizens of Canada and told it to reduce its diplomatic staffing Thursday as a rift widened between the countries after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said India may have been involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen.
ICC war crimes tribunal hobbles on despite hacking
The Netherlands-based International Criminal Court was operating on Thursday with disruptions to email, streaming and document-sharing after a hacking incident earlier in the week, sources and lawyers at the tribunal said.
First Bob Ross TV painting, completed in a half an hour, goes on sale for nearly US$10 million
A Minneapolis gallery is asking US$10 million for 'A Walk in the Woods,' the first of more than 400 paintings that Bob Ross produced on-air for his TV series 'The Joy of Painting.'
Fraud in auto, credit card, mortgage sectors rise amid interest rate hikes: Equifax
New data suggests an uptick in fraud in the auto, credit card and mortgage sectors is driven by growing financial pressures on consumers and by fraudsters using bold schemes.
From Centre Ice Conservatives to Canadian Future, a new federal party takes shape
The interim leader of Canada's newest federal party says he wants it to be an option for people who are tired of both the governing Liberals and the "rage farming" coming from the Conservatives.
Cutting obituary for B.C. man thanks karma for 'doing what she does best'
Few obituaries begin with the words, "I am pleased to announce" – but Amanda Denis believes in blunt honesty.
Rupert Murdoch, whose creation of Fox News made him a force in American politics, is stepping down
Rupert Murdoch has stepped down as the chairman of Fox Corp and News Corp, ending a more than seven-decade career during which he created a media empire spanning from Australia to the United States.