Donated bikes hitch ride to Nunavut on Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker
Bikes will be given to kids when the ship makes a stop in Taloyoak
A Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker will have some special cargo on board when it leaves Victoria this weekend.
Employees at the base have collected 38 bikes for children in the arctic community of Taloyoak, Nunavut.
"It does a whole bunch of really good things. It involves kids. It gets them physically fit. It teaches them some responsibility," said Michael Crummy, an organizer for the campaign.
All of the bikes have been tuned up and are ready to ride. They will be given to kids when the ship makes a stop in Taloyoak.
Crummy said the program started after a staff member, who is an avid mountain biker, was transferred to Nunavut and saw a need there.
"They don't get to own the bikes. They actually get to use them and recycle them into the community. It's really kind of a unique concept," he said.
The plan is to make the bike delivery an annual event — each time to a different Arctic community.
The bikes were loaded onto the CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier on Thursday. The ship is preparing to head north for annual ice-breaking duties.
They were stowed away alongside stacks of scientific gear and supplies for the mission, which will continue until October or November.