Canada 911 Ride makes a stop in Uxbridge during annual outing
Lisha Van Nieuwenhove
If you’re in downtown Uxbridge on Friday around lunchtime and notice a hundred or so motorbikes riding along Brock Street towards the fire hall, don’t fret. It’s just the 21st Annual Ontario Ride for the Canada 911 Ride Foundation.
An image from the 2025 Canda 911 Ride Foundation ride. Photo from https://canada911ride.org
The Canada 911 Ride Foundation is a registered Canadian charity dedicated to honouring fallen emergency responders, supporting their families and strengthening the broader emergency services community. It’s work includes providing scholarships and educational assistance for the children of fallen first responders and placing lifesaving automated external defibrillators in communities.
The Ontario Ride is Canada’s only three-day, fully police-escorted motorcycle ride. This year’s Ride begins this Friday, August 21, at Classy Chassis & Cycles in Lakefield. The annual banquet will take place on Saturday at the Nottawasaga Inn Resort in Alliston, and the Ride will conclude on Sunday at the York Regional Police Association headquarters in Aurora.
“The Ride brings together emergency responders, public safety personnel and supporters in a procession of motorcycles that can stretch for approximately 1.5 kilometres,” explains Brian Claman, treasurer and Board secretary for the Canada 911 Ride Foundation. “Up to 40 police motorcycle officers from the Toronto Police Service, Ontario Provincial Police, Peel Regional Police, York Regional Police and the Miramichi Police Force in New Brunswick will escort the Ride along its route. The procession is an impressive and moving tribute to first responders who have lost their lives in the line of duty.”
The anticipated Friday schedule through the area is as follows:
12:30 p.m. — Highway 35 and Highway 7A
12:40 p.m. — Port Perry, travelling along Highway 7A to Simcoe Street
1:05 p.m. — Uxbridge, travelling along Main Street to Brock Street
1:10 p.m. — Arrival and stop at the Uxbridge Fire Station
2:25 p.m. — Village of Ballantrae
These times are approximate and may vary slightly depending on traffic and operational considerations.
“Members of the Uxbridge community are welcome and encouraged to come out along the route to watch the Ride pass through town,” says Claman. The area around the Uxbridge Fire Hall will be good vantage point because the Ride will stop there briefly. Residents will be able to watch the procession arrive and meet the riders and up to 40 police motorcycle officers escorting the Ride.
Fire Chief Mike MacDonald asks that those coming out to see the ride not park at the fire hall, as it needs to accommodate the bikes and their riders. Instead, MacDonald suggests those attending the ride park at Quaker Village Public School and either line Brock St. W. to get a glimpse, and walk up to the Fire Hall.
For more, visit canada911ride.org