We are celebrating the 12th Anniversary of the Toys for the North campaign! O Division Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) will once again coordinate transportation and delivery of toys to children living in remote northern communities.
The RCMP, along with our partners from the Canadian Toy Association, Thomson Terminals Limited and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) are already working to receive toys and arrange transportation and delivery.
"This year we are focused on expanding our reach and better serving the communities receiving donations. We want to continue to bring joy to children across Canada's North and reach as many children as possible. Through the incredible generosity of the toy companies, this vision is coming to life! We are overjoyed that this year we are able to expand the program into communities in the Northwest Territories. We are looking forward to our best year yet!" - Cpl. Angelique Dignard, RCMP Toys for the North coordinator commented.
The Christmas campaign began in 2010, originating from a partnership between the Santa Claus Parade, the Canadian Toy Association, The Toronto Zoo, O Division RCMP and the Toronto RCMP Veterans Association. That year we delivered toys to northern communities in the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. To date we have made the holidays a little brighter by distributing over $1,000,000 worth of toys to children in Northern communities.
In addition to the corporate donations, each year RCMP employees across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and surrounding detachments get involved by making toy donations. Should you wish to donate a new unwrapped toy, you can do so at one of our three GTA detachments in Toronto North and Airport Detachments or at our Hamilton-Niagara Regional Detachment in Stoney Creek. Donation boxes will be available at the three offices, Monday to Friday, between November 1st, 2022 and November 24th, 2022, 9:00 am – 3:30 pm.
Be sure to follow the journey of the toys from the GTA to Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Northern Newfoundland/Labrador and Ontario on our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram feeds or by following hashtags #CTAT4N and #ToysForTheNorth.
We are very grateful for everyone who has supported the Toys for the North campaign for the past 12 years. Together, you helped create happy memories for children across Canada's remote north. The smiling faces of the children have been the best gifts we could ever imagine receiving. We invite everyone to join us to share the joy of giving during this holiday season.