Montreal, Canada—On Saturday, September 24, 2022, under clear blue skies, approximately 30 members of UPF-Montreal met at Parc Beaudet in the Borough of Saint-Laurent, also known as “Peace Park,” to kick off the Peace Road 2022 bike ride from Saint-Laurent to the borough of Montreal-Nord, a 15-kilometer (9.24 mile) ride along the beautiful waterway at the north end of the Island of Montreal. Parc Beaudet has an obelisk-type monument to the brave soldiers who fought for peace during the wars of the 20th century.
Offering congratulatory and encouraging words to the participants were the Mayor of the Borough of Saint-Laurent, Alan DeSousa, and City Councilman Aref Salem. The group was composed of older and younger cyclists, some of whom had come for the first time to this annual event.
Canadian UPF president, Dr. Franco Famularo, gave a basic explanation of the purpose of the project, which is duplicated in well over 100 countries of the world each year to promote citizens’ action for peace through the idea of an international Peace Highway, a visionary plan designed to connect peoples of the world with a road network stretching from the Cape of Good Hope to Santiago, Chile via a bridge-tunnel link across the Bering Strait.
The long-term project which UPF members and friends promote annually around the globe is a fun and easy way to build public awareness that building peace takes public action, which involves both civic and government participation.
The cyclists ended their ride at Parc Eusėbe-Ménard, where Montreal-Nord Borough Mayor, Mme. Christine Black, and Councilman Abdellaq Sari shared words of support and thanks to UPF for taking action towards peace through this project.
National Member of Parliament Emmanuella Lambropoulos, who received an Ambassador for Peace certificate in absentia at a prior event, planned to attend, but due to a prior meeting arrived a little late. She was hoping to have a photo with UPF president Dr. Famularo who had presented her certificate to an aide.
Having expended much energy on their journey, the cyclists enjoyed a picnic lunch in the park before setting out again to return to their point of origin, another 15-kilometer ride!