THUNDER BAY – Kingston, Ont. Mayor Bryan Paterson has dared Thunder Bay Mayor Bill Mauro to beat his city in the 2019 Commuter Challenge.
Peterson issued a statement on Wednesday, saying his community has “had the highest participation rate for a Canadian mid-size city for (five) years. Last year we were bested. Looking forward to reclaiming our spot! Mayor Mauro, how do you feel about a friendly challenge? Is the sleeping giant up for it?”
Mauro said Thunder Bay was up for it in their bid to take the title for a second straight year.
“Bring it on,” he replied.
The winning side, the city with the most participants, will hand over a shirt that represents its community and the losing city’s mayor will have to wear it on June 17, while raising the other city’s flag.
“Last year, we were overwhelmed by the number of people who participated in Commuter Challenge,” Mauro said in a statement.
“This year, we are set to be impressed again. More and more, our residents acknowledge the positive impact leaving their cars at home has on our health and environment.”
Paterson said it’s an important issue, but the bet is just a way of having a little fun.
“This is a friendly competition,” Paterson said. “At the end of the day, our real goal is to encourage more people to participate in Commuter Challenge.”
The Commuter Challenge is a nationwide event held across Canada between June 2 and June 8, encouraging participants to leave their cars at home and bike, walk, bus, roll, carpool or tele-commute to work.
For more information, visit www.commuterchallenge.ca.
