Man marching ‘a cross’ Canada

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This article was published 09/01/2021 (1701 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Hauling a veteran’s cross on his back, a Kelowna, B.C., man passed through Brandon on Friday during his “March A Cross Canada.”

It’s an effort the man began in British Columbia in mid-December and whose tentative ultimate goal is to reach Ottawa.

“I just set out to do something beautiful,” said the man, who introduced himself as either Warren Michaels or Warren Parke, but has also gone by “The Old Man” along his voyage. His online fundraiser page and other news coverage identify his last name as Michael.

His comments during a brief stop outside Brandon’s Beef & Barrel Restaurant on Friday might explain the discrepancy, as he said he’d initially set out to remain anonymous throughout the march.

He didn’t plan anything during his march and simply set out to do it and raise money for various worthy causes, but supporters joined the effort along the way to build up more of a presence, which made it more difficult for him to keep his identity private.

After a recent falling out with his initial support team, Warren found a new teammate in Bruxelles man Eric Cabernel, who joined the effort for this week’s Manitoban stretch. Cabernel learned about the march through social media.

“It just seemed like a worthy cause to me,” Cabernel said during their brief stop in Brandon, bookended between stops in Virden and Portage la Prairie.

The walk’s seed was planted in 2018, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended fighting veterans in court “because they’re asking for more than we are able to give right now.”

“I felt disgusted,” Warren said. “Our veterans are not asking for more than we can give.”

On this front, Warren pointed to a support boot on one of his feet, which protects a broken ankle. He has torn ligaments in his other ankle, bad knees and a bad hip alongside other ailments. He also left his wife and two step-daughters at home to take part in the march.

“Veterans are not asking for more than I can give,” he said, adding that reaction along the way has been “amazing.”

“Our veterans fought for who we are as Canada and they need to be honoured. So many vets suffer from so many things … and I can’t even imagine a fraction of what these men and women go through on a regular basis.”

Alongside raising funds for veterans, Warren opened the march up to other causes he considers worthy, such as First Nations, autism, cancer and mental health alongside others.

These causes are reflected on the cross he carries, which features First Nations imagery alongside a pride flag, autism puzzle pieces and a cancer ribbon.

After marching a stretch of First Street and the city’s easternmost stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway, Warren and Cabernel planned to drive to Portage la Prairie for their second stop of the day.

From there, Warren said they’d proceed to Winnipeg for a couple of days before venturing farther east. Once Warren reaches Ottawa, he plans on opening up the cross to take out the money people have donated along the way, which he will divvy out to charitable causes. He also looks forward to reading the letters of encouragement people have dropped in.

It might end there, he said, or he might continue walking “until we become the change.”

For the latest on how the effort is progressing, visit the effort’s Facebook page, facebook.com/marchacrosscanada.

» tclarke@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB