No CIBC Run for the Cure here this year

By Ken Johnston
Editor

For the past decade and a half the CIBC Run for the Cure has been ran and walked in communities across Northwestern Ontario that have branches of the bank. But this year that has all changed.
Locally CIBC employees have been told that they can not hold the event, which is scheduled for Oct. 5, 2008, due to complications with liability insurance.
When the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF) was contacted last week they said they were not aware that there ever was a Run for the Cure in Rainy River or any of the other communities with CIBCs in NWO. “Until the call (from the Record) came in to our central office we weren’t aware there was a run there,” said Naomi Rose, Director of Marketing and Communications for Ontario CBCF.
Until now they had only been aware of Run for the Cure being held in this region at Thunder Bay and at other “official” sites across Ontario and Canada. CBCF has extensive liability insurance for the official sites but none for the unknown ones.
Locally CIBC employees were told if they want to participate in the run this year they will have to travel to Thunder Bay (five hours away). Rose said that they do have people registered from Rainy River in Thunder Bay but do know the geography of the region could be limiting to others wanting to participate.
With newly discovered “runs” in the smaller communities, Rose said they are pleasantly surprised that the cause, which is one of the largest fundraisers every year for Breast Cancer research, and that they are now looking at a way to save the smaller community events. “We do not know if there is enough time to save this year’s run in Rainy River and other (NWO) communities, but we are looking at it now.”
They do have what they call a “virtual run” with which people who do not live near an official run site can sign up on line and participate, collecting pledges and qualify for incentive prizes.
While CBCF is speculating they are thinking that the runs in the past 16 years at smaller communities like Rainy River, Emo and Fort Frances were likely run under the umbrella of Thunder Bay. While there may have only been a handful of people in each smaller run, they did raise significant amounts of money. Rainy River on average raised more than $1,500 at CIBC selling merchandise and holding the run. “We are really pleased with the grass roots support of the run and now want to see what we can do to keep it alive,” said Rose. They have been in contact with CIBC and are communicating through them in hopes that the unsolicited grass roots support will continue to benefit this important cause.