Thunder Bay won first place in Ontario in this year’s Commuter Challenge! With 82 workplaces and 938 individuals registered, and a whopping 738 individuals participating, Thunder Bay took the lead in the province and placed fourth in the nation behind Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver. This year marked Thunder Bay’s best showing ever in the event which took place June 3 to 9 during Environmental Week.

“The response has been tremendous and it has been tangible,” says Adam Krupper, City of Thunder Bay’s Mobility Coordinator. “I’ve never seen so many people walking and biking in Thunder Bay.”

The Commuter Challenge is a nation-wide event to encourage people to try commuting in a way that does not involve driving alone in the car, including bussing, walking, running, biking, skipping, ride-sharing and telecommuting. Through Thunder Bay’s ride sharing and active transportation activities, approximately 7356 kg of C02 was avoided, 42351 kilometers travelled and 3153 litres in fuel saved. These numbers might improve since participants have until June 16 to log their commutes on the national website.

”This has great benefits for the environment and the overall health of our community,” says Rachael Shaffer, public health nurse. “We hope those who built physical activity into their day by actively commuting during the Challenge continue with it and see it as an important everyday habit for better health, and not as a chore.”

Grand prizes will be announced the week of June 18 which will include a number of prizes including $500 gift cards.