Canal Pursuit on Track to Run Over 700km While Ending the Stigma Around Mental Health

The Canal Pursuit is an annual relay race aiming to raise awareness of depression and to end the stigma of mental illness. The run started on Saturday in Port Severn and will continue until Aug. 28, when it will end on Parliament Hill.

Clay Williams holds the Canal Pursuit flag with Julie-Anne Wideman. Wideman describes herself as Canal Pursuits Communications Manager, chauffeur, chef and any other title they may need. Photo by Angela O’Grady.

Clay Williams holds the Canal Pursuit flag with Julie-Anne Wideman. Wideman describes herself as Canal Pursuits Communications Manager, chauffeur, chef and any other title they may need. Photo by Angela O’Grady.

Runners set off from the Peterborough Lift Lock on Tuesday morning at 8:00 a.m. to complete a 40 km leg of the over 700 km journey.

A familiar face in the running and mental health scene in Peterborough was gearing up to run on Tuesday. Julie Vallières has been participating in the Canal Pursuit for five years and this year is joined by her daughter Maya Poulin. Jonel Boyko joins Vallières’s team called ‘Running is Fun.‘ This is Boyko’s second year participating.

Team ‘Running is Fun’ poses with Williams. Photo By Angela O’Grady

Team ‘Running is Fun’ poses with Williams. Photo By Angela O’Grady

Canal Pursuit has been raising awareness and fundraising for mental health for seven years.

Organizer Clay Williams created the run in memory of his two older brothers who took their own lives and to honour his wife, daughter, and his sister who live with mood disorders.

Williams ran his first marathon in 2005 and raised money for a different charity each year.

During the summer of 2014, he was beginning to notice the growing media coverage of mental health in Canada.

“I knew my next fundraiser had to be for mental health,” he said. “But the more I learned about Canada’s mental health care system and how fragmented and in its infancy it was the more I realized I needed to stick with it.”

Williams says people have started to say ‘see you next year’ at the end of the run each year so there is no end in sight.

On each leg of the run, Williams packs a Canadian flag into the backpack of a participant. Before he started the run Williams asked participants and supporters to write the name of someone that struggles with depression, anxiety or any mood disorder on his flag. That flag is carried the whole stretch of the run and then displayed at Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

“We sign the flag, then carry it the full distance of the run as a symbol that you don’t have to carry your burdens alone,” he says. “I’ve had the honour of carrying it up Parliament Hill six years in a row and I’ll run the last leg again this year.”

Williams packs the flag into Vallières backpack before she starts her run for the day. Photo by Angela O’Grady.

Williams packs the flag into Vallières backpack before she starts her run for the day. Photo by Angela O’Grady.

Those that participate are welcome to do so individually or as a team. Funds raised by donation during the run are given to the Mood Disorders Society of Canada, a non-profit health charity committed to those struggling with mental health.

The fundraising goal for Canal Pursuit is $15,000, those interested in donating can do so here.

For more information contact Clay Williams at canalpursuit@gmail.com.

Follow along on their journey via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Ontario Increases Mental Health Funding To Support Fleming College & Trent University Students

The Ontario government is providing a total of $695,894 to help increase access to mental health and addiction services for students at Fleming College and Trent University.

The funding will strengthen community partnerships, increase the number of mental health workers and programs, and immediately expand access for students to the provincial mental health and addictions system during COVID-19.

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“There is no denying the added stresses the COVID-19 pandemic has presented to many post-secondary students in Peterborough-Kawartha, and throughout the Province,” says Peterborough-Kawartha MPP, Dave Smith.

“Having to pivot to learning almost exclusively online, and the difficulties that can arise when learning from home has been a challenge for student’s mental well-being,” Smith adds. “Despite this, I have been continuously impressed by both Trent University and Fleming College’s supports available to students. That is why I am thrilled to see this additional investment coming from the Province, so we can continue to address student’s well-being and ultimately help them achieve their goals.”

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This funding is part of the province’s total investment of $26.25 million for mental health supports for postsecondary students in 2020-21. It will support more services for students on-campus and virtually and can also be used to address the needs of vulnerable and diverse groups, such as Indigenous students, LGBTQ students and students with disabilities. 

Providing mental health supports for postsecondary students is part of Ontario’s Roadmap to Wellness, the government’s plan to build a connected and comprehensive mental health and addiction system that ensures children, youth, and adults in Ontario receive appropriate services where and when they need them.

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