Good morning, and thank you for the opportunity to present today. My name is Colin Ewart. I'm with the Rick Hansen Foundation. This is my colleague, Mark Aston, from the Rick Hansen Institute.
We're here today to highlight our submission about the 25th anniversary of Rick's Man in Motion Tour, to highlight how his leadership has created the Rick Hansen Institute as a catalyst for collaboration among spinal cord injury researchers, clinicians, and other stakeholders across Canada and globally, and lastly, to talk about how our future plans will continue to positively impact Canadians, Canada's economic well-being, and quality of life.
Rick Hansen started a journey 25 years ago with a dream, to find a cure for spinal cord injury and make our world more accessible. Since then, his foundation has driven initiatives that have accelerated breakthroughs in spinal cord injury research and cure and greater accessibility and inclusivity for those with disabilities.
Additionally, Rick's leadership has extended into many other areas of social change in building civil society. For example, this past weekend he was in Quebec supporting our national relay of “difference makers”, a nine-month, seven-person event from Cape Spear to Vancouver along his original route.
The Government of Canada has been a vital partner by providing critical support at many points along Rick's journey. As a result, Canada has become a global leader in spinal cord injury cure where people with disabilities lead healthier and active lives.
This year our organizations are seeking the renewal of federal funding of $21 million each year over the next five years to continue the impact and benefits of our work for all Canadians. This funding will be leveraged with significant private sector and other government funding.
While a detailed proposal has been submitted to the government, Mark will now share information specifically on the current and future impact of the institute.