Father And Daughter From Niagara, Ontario Complete Cross-Canada ‘G20 Justice Ride’ – All On Bike

News to Niagara At Large readers from G20 Summit victim John Pruyn

(A Brief Foreword Note from Niagara At Large – Just a reminder that John Pruyn is a Niagara, Ontario residents and retired federal government employee who found himself making international headlines in June of 2010 when riot police grabbed him while he was sitting on the lawns of Queen’s Park, pulled off his artificial leg and, without ever stating a reason, arrested him and his daughter Sarah, along with more than 1,000 other people during a weekend of G20 Summit meetings in Toronto, Ontario.

John and Sarah Pruyn at Terry Fox statue in St John’s at the end of their cross-ountry  ride. ‘Terry Fox gave me courage and inspired me. When times were tough, when I was tired, aching and cold I thought about Terry Fox.” said John.

The police actions that weekend, committed under the federal government of Stephen Harper and provincial government of then Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty, were summed up in reports and statements by the province’s official Ombudsman Andre Morin and civil liberties lawyers as one of the worst assaults on citizens rights in Canadian history.)

October 2015 – My daughter Sarah and I completed our 8,005 kilometre bike ride across Canada.

We started June 9^th from Victoria, British Columba and finished October 1^st in St John’s, Newfoundland.

I believe it was the greatest achievement by a disabled athlete from Niagara or from Canada this year. I am 62 years old and an above the knee amputee (aka) on the left side. It is difficult for a aka to ride a regular bicycle. About 85 per cent of the work is done by my right leg. Biking up hills is hard and even more difficult when you have four paniers loaded with 80 poundss of gear and food.

We camped most of the time and carried our own gear during most of the ride. We did the ride for several reasons.  Those reasons include – to offer father and daughter a chance to have time together, to show that a vegetarian, John and a vegan, Sarah, can engage in strenuous activity for months, to be the oldest or maybe only aka to bike from Victoria to St John’s, to remind Canadians of the violence unleashed by Harper’s security forces at the G20.

We called our journey the G20justiceride. Both Sarah and I were beaten up and abused by Harper’s security forces at Queen’s Park in 2010. I was attacked, beaten and robbed. I was held for 28 hours and never charged with a crime.

Thousands of people were abused by the Harper Government that weekend. Why do we need Bill C51 when our government already engages in so much violence.

You can read about the ride and see pictures on my Facebook page under John Pruyn. We also have a Web page g20justiceride.wordpress.com.

For related informat on John Pruyn’s G20 experience and the abuses committed by authorities during that event click on –

https://niagaraatlarge.com/2015/06/05/niagara-ontario-father-and-daughter-start-cross-canada-bike-ride-for-g20-justice/ .

artificial-leg-ripped-off-by-police-and-is-slammed-in-makeshift-cell-during-g20-summit-%E2%80%93-at-least-one-ontario-mpp-calls-the-whole-episode-%E2%80%9Cshocking/

https://niagaraatlarge.com/2010/12/07/ontario-ombudsman-releases-blistering-report-on-provincial-government%E2%80%99s-role-in-g20-security-mayhem/ .

http://www.torontosun.com/2015/06/19/thorold-man-rides-to-forget-g20-debacle .

Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary for and from the greater bi-national Niagara region.

(NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post. A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.)