Pull! Hauling an airplane to provide hope to patients across Canada
A fundraising event in Edmonton Monday had participants pulling hard, enough to move a 30,390 kg airplane.
Haul for Hope has teams of 10 to 12 people racing against the clock to pull a WestJet Q400 a distance of 100 meters.
The teams competing also raise money for Hope Air, a registered charity that helps bring patients across Canada to get medical treatment.
"We help people who live in small, rural or remote parts of this country, or anyone who has to travel for specialized medical care that isn't available in their home community," Jon Collins, the chief development officer with Hope Air said.
"There's so many different types of specialized care that people need that they don't realize isn't available in their home community until the need strikes them and then they face the difficult question of how or if they can go."
One such patient was Adirenne Mahoney, who needed lifesaving treatment in Calgary.
"I've had a heart transplant in 2019 and unfortunately, I was having some organ rejection," Mahoney said. "I know for certain I would be in absolute financial dire straits without Hope Air helping me out.
"I look at the thousands upon thousands of dollars that I would have paid out of pocket, and not to mention, as a patient who's recovering, it's probably the last thing you should be worrying about. You should be focusing on your health."
Hope Air expects to help 4,000 people this year.
"When we support them, it's instant relief … (there) is a lot of people that say, without this, I may have foregone my treatment, or my local health center told me I had four weeks to live with the facilities they have," Collins said.
"Messages like that and moments like that are why you do the work and we're grateful to do it."
The fundraising goal for 2024 is $300,000.
"We're expecting to reach that total, and that's a significant lift at a time where we're facing a significant lift in demand, increased 140 per cent year over year last year, and now we've already set a new record for travel arrangements in a year," Collins said.
Haul for Hope is taking place in five cities across Canada this year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Federal government to further limit number of international students
The federal government will be further limiting the number of international students permitted to enter Canada next year. It's the government's latest immigration-related measure to address Canadians' ongoing housing and affordability concerns.
Search for suspect in Kentucky highway shooting ends with discovery of body believed to be his
Authorities say they believe the body of a man suspected of shooting and wounding five people on a Kentucky interstate highway has been found.
Here's why you should get all your vaccines as soon as possible
With all these shots, some Canadians may have questions about the benefit of each vaccine, whether they should get every shot and how often to get them, and if it's safe to get them all at once or if they should space them out.
Bloc MPs will vote confidence in Liberal government next week: Blanchet
The Conservatives' first shot at toppling the Liberal government is likely doomed to fail, after Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-François Blanchet told reporters his MPs will vote confidence in the government.
'I'm here for the Porsche': Video shows brazen car theft in Mississauga
Video of a brazen daylight auto theft which shows a suspect running over a victim in a stolen luxury SUV has been released by police west of Toronto.
Exploding electronic devices kill 20, wound 450 in second day of explosions in Lebanon
Lebanon's health ministry said Wednesday that at least 20 people were killed and 450 others wounded by exploding electronic devices in multiple regions of the country. The explosions came a day after an apparent Israeli attack targeting pagers used by Hezbollah killed at least 12 and wounded nearly 3,000.
'It starts off innocent': Manitoba man loses $185,000 to crypto-romance scam
A Manitoba man is warning others after he fell victim to an elaborate online scam over the summer.
Teen faces new charge in Sask. high school arson attack
A 14-year-old student who allegedly set her classmate on fire is facing a new charge.
Quebec woman charged with first-degree murder in death of five-year-old boy
A 29-year-old Quebec woman is facing a first-degree murder charge in the death of a five-year-old boy southwest of Montreal.