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Dr. Suzuki biked the final few kilometres of his "If YOU were Prime Minister..." tour from the Inner Harbour to Mile Zero with about 20 other cyclists with an escort of bicycle police. School children lined portions of the parade route chanting "David! David!" as he passed.
At Mile Zero, Dr. Suzuki was met by a crowd of supporters, media and children, as well as "The Raging Grannies." Kids poked their heads through the slats of the Mile Zero sign to pose with him and Dr. Suzuki paused before the Terry Fox monument for a moment, acknowledging the late Canadian hero's achievement.
Dr. Suzuki then went to the Fairfield neighbourhood of Victoria to speak to an audience of 900 crammed into the First Metropolitan United Church. The sold-out event was typical of the response Dr. Suzuki has received the entire 9,436 kilometres between Mile One in St. John's, NL and Mile Zero in Victoria.
"It was inspiring to see Dr. Suzuki there at the Terry Fox memorial," said Roberta Martel of the Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group. "They're both great Canadians who have shown the power of the individual. Every choice we make can have a difference."
Dr. Suzuki now heads off to Ottawa where he'll hold a grand finale at the Museum of Civilization on March 2.
During the non-partisan tour, Dr. Suzuki has spoken to thousands of Canadians in every province. He's encouraging people to make 20-second "If YOU were Prime Minister..." videos and upload them to the tour's YouTube group through davidsuzuki.org.
The David Suzuki Foundation is committed to reducing and offsetting its greenhouse gas emissions by going Carbon Neutral. All of the major emissions associated with this tour, as well as from day-to-day Foundation operations (including staff commuting, paper use, electricity consumption, and air travel) are offset through investments in sustainable energy projects, such as wind farms, solar installations, or energy efficiency projects.
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