Tour Alberta for Cancer presented race results to council

The Town of Strathmore received a presentation from Tour Alberta for Cancer during the May 15 regular meeting as a delegation. 

Tour Alberta for Cancer hosted a two-day cycling event in Strathmore, July 2023. Their delegation to council was to discuss the impact of the event from both a cancer care perspective, as well as to present a community impact report. 

“Last year we had over 1,200 riders and 300 volunteers, and we raised $5.9 million for Albertans facing cancer. Each one of our 1,200 participants not only signed up to raise $2,500, they each committed to cycling either 100 or 60 kilometres a day for two days,” said Krystal Clements, director of events and community outreach for the Alberta Cancer Foundation. “I am quite proud to say that our oldest rider, Dale Risden, is 84 years old and from right here in Strathmore and he has got quite a fan club at the foundation.”

Clements, as part of her presentation to council, shared several statistics about cancer among Albertans. 

This included that one in two Albertans will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes, and one in four will pass away from that diagnosis. 

“In 2024, 23,000 Albertans will face their own cancer diagnoses. That is 63 people per day in this province who will hear the words, ‘you have cancer.’ 24 per cent of all deaths in Alberta in 2019 were related to cancer,” she said. “It is not all bad news though, some positive statistics over the past 25 years, cancer mortality rates in Alberta have declined, according to the Alberta Health Services … by an average of 2.1 per cent per year from 2004 to 2014.”

Clements added this trend is attributed to advancements in cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment strategies.

The finances raised from the event largely stay in the province, save for the support of external clinical trials. 

“The four key things that we support are patient financial assistance, patient navigation, clinical trials, and research,” she said. “We support all 17 cancer centers in the province of Alberta as a fundraising partner. For every cancer center in Alberta, we make life better for Albertans facing cancer by supporting world-class research and patient care.”

Clements said Tour Alberta for Cancer will be returning to Strathmore once again, July 20-21.

The full presentation is available via the Town of Strathmore public meeting minutes posted to their YouTube channel.