Toronto race that raises funds for kids with cancer in jeopardy over city politics

The Toronto running event that raises precious dollars for children battling cancer has become a big question mark for 2018. 

The Sporting Life 10K draws 20,000 runners to a competition down Yonge Street every year but more important than the finish line success stories is its charity: Camp Oochigeas.

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Shortened to Camp Ooch, this camp is a spot where kids who are in the midst of their fight with cancer can go to just… be a kid. It’s an overnight camp in Ontario with year-round programs in the Muskoka region. It exclusively hosts children who have been diagnosed with cancer. About 1,500 kids attend this camp. During their vacation at Camp Ooch, the children can receive on-site chemotherapy and healthcare. It has been going since 1983 and the Sporting Life 10K is one of the big reasons why: its charity donations takes care of about a third of the camp’s budget costs. 

That has been the case for the past 15 years but next year, that could change says a recent report in The Toronto Star. 

On the second Sunday of May (which happens to be Mother’s Day), the thousands of runners make their way from the start line north of Eglinton all the way down to the south part of the city. That site of the start line has become an issue for Councillor Jaye Robinson. She wants the race moved out of her ward mainly due to the commotion around road closures that it brings with it and the fact that these closures overlap with Mother’s Day. 

Could the race be bumped out of this part of Toronto? According to The Star article, that’s seems likely.

In fact, it might not even run at all in 2018 which would be a huge blow for Camp Ooch. Last year, the 10K raised $2.25 million for the camp. That’s a big amount of money to miss out on. Alex Robertson, the head of Camp Ooch told The Star that he’s concerned over this news as the race’s charity dollars are crucial to the camp’s operation. 

The race is still waiting for a green-light from the city but doesn’t have it yet. That means that it could potentially not even happen in 2018. There’s a good chance that in the future, the race will be changing its route but those details have yet to be decided upon.

It could also move its date to April or its location west to Etobicoke. Both of which could affect participation levels.