Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak today about how Sudbury is supporting one of Canada's heroes.
On October 4, I, along with close to 1,000 other Sudburians, hiked for a hero. This hero is Corporal Bill Kerr.
Corporal Kerr is part of the Irish Regiment of Canada based in Sudbury. Bill volunteered for two tours in Afghanistan. On October 15, 2008, while on foot patrol, Corporal Kerr was critically wounded by a roadside bomb, losing both legs and part of his left arm.
The hike raised money to build Corporal Kerr and his family an accessible house that they can call home. On behalf of the home for a hero project committee, I am pleased to announce that as a result of the hike for a hero event, over $199,000 has been raised to date.
As the co-chair for the event, Derik McArthur, stated:
Once again Sudburians have shown that we are a caring community that not only supports our troops, but we take care of our own.
I echo his sentiments and congratulate all Sudburians for helping a truly Canadian hero, Corporal Bill Kerr.