Ottawa — On Friday, April 25, some 500 runners and walkers – including lawyers, judges, legal support staff and the public – are expected to participate in the annual Law Day 5 KM Fun Run/Walk at Ottawa City Hall’s Marion Dewar Plaza, 161 Elgin Street. Proceeds from the run will be donated to Harvest House, which offers treatment programs for young men facing addiction issues.
“Join us at the 19th annual Law Day Fun Run and Walk to get some fresh air and exercise. By doing so, you’ll be supporting a very worthy cause in our community,” says organizer John Westdal of Ottawa’s Sevigny Westdal LLP.
The event begins at 12:30 p.m. Participants can register in advance for $15 (youth) or $25 (adult) or on race day at Marion Dewar Plaza for $30, which includes food and beverages supplied by Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP. Prizes will be awarded to the top overall finishers, top finishers from the legal community, and top student finishers. For more information, visit the Running Room website.
The route starts at Marion Dewar Plaza, continues along the Queen Elizabeth Driveway on the west side of the Canal, turns around at Fifth Avenue, and returns to the plaza. To allow participants to run and walk on the road rather than the pathway, the Queen Elizabeth Driveway will be closed from Laurier Avenue to Fifth Avenue from 12:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Harvest House is a long-term residential drug treatment program that provides hope to addicts. The program has helped over 2,200 young men between the ages of 16 and 30 since it was founded in 1979. Harvest House’s mission is to rehabilitate young men who are chemically dependent, to instill in them self-discipline, and to reintegrate them into society.
The run is being held as part of the celebrations for Law Day, which was founded by the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) in 1983 to recognize the anniversary of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Ottawa Law Day activities are coordinated by a committee comprised of members from the CBA, the County of Carleton Law Association, the Department of Justice Canada, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, and the Ottawa Catholic School Board.
The CBA is dedicated to supporting the rule of law, improvements in the law, and the administration of justice. Some 37,500 lawyers, law teachers, and law students from across Canada are members.
Law Day Run/Walk Contact:
John Westdal Sevigny Westdal LLP
Cell: 613-863-6124
john.westdal@sevignywestdal.com