The Alfred and Plantagenet Fire Department volunteer firefighters organized a canoe-kayak race as part of this year’s Ottawa River Festival. Under cloudy skies, the departure from the Treadwell boat launch took place on the 30th of June at 9 a.m. Despite the weather, 36 canoe and kayak registrations were recorded. Braving rain and current, the participants classified in five distinct categories, namely professionals, women, children, single kayaks and recreational canoes. Mr. Pierre Charlebois obtained the fastest time for the Treadwell-Lefaivre course, navigating it in a canoe in an hour and nine minutes. The majority of participants docked in Lefaivre within two hours and thirty minutes from the start. The organizers of the event consider it an achievement, all the more that the race highlighted the riverside characteristic of the Township of Alfred and Plantagenet as well as supported a cause dear to local firefighters.
The canoe-kayak race is part of the annual fundraising of the Fire Department. Funds collected from the registration cost will add to other campaigns throughout the year, and ultimately, all of the proceeds will be donated to Muscular Dystrophy Canada, a national health charity committed to improving the lives of people with neuromuscular disorders.
“This year’s race participation exceeded our expectations,” commented Mr. Dominic Côté, Chief Firefighter and Director of the Alfred and Plantagenet Fire Department. “We will evaluate the success of the event shortly. We hope to repeat the experience in 2019!”
