AIDS Walk Canada 2000 raises $2.7 million

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Sixty-thousand people from 120 different communities took to the streets Sunday, Sept. 24, taking part in AIDS Walk Canada 2000.

For the first time since the annual walk was begun in 1995, this year's event included participating communities from all provinces and territories. Included among them were several Aboriginal communities.

Twenty-one Inuit communities across the Arctic held events as part of this year's AIDS Walk, as did 19 First Nations communities in Saskatchewan, and 25 First Nations communities in Atlantic Canada.

"It is great to see the addition of new walk sites in a number of Inuit communities, such as Nunavut," said Canadian AIDS Society Chair Paul Lapierre. "Over 50,000 Canadians are living with HIV and an estimated 15,000 Canadians are HIV positive and unaware of their infection."

The annual AIDS Walk is held to raise money for local AIDS organizations, as well as to increase awareness of AIDS and HIV. All funds raised by AIDS walks stay within the community, to help local AIDS organizations continue to provide education, treatment, support and research programs.

Since 1995, AIDS Walk Canada has raised more than $15 million.