The Régie intermunicipale de police Thérèse-De Blainville (RIPTB) is launching a new month-long fundraising campaign for breast cancer initiatives. Beginning today, residents may notice a change to officers’ uniforms: several will wear a special patch throughout October to draw attention to the disease and encourage donations. The service says the effort is also intended to highlight that breast cancer can affect men, a fact that remains lesser known to the public.
The initiative was prompted by an officer’s desire to act following the death of a close family member. RIPTB has set a fundraising target of $2,500 for this first edition, and reports that all proceeds will be directed to the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation (Fondation cancer du sein du Québec). Citizens who wish to contribute are invited to donate during the campaign period, according to the police service. The Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation describes itself as a Quebec charity dedicated entirely to the fight against breast cancer.
October is widely recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Canada, a period used to promote screening, share information and mobilize fundraising across the country.
For context, the Canadian Cancer Society estimated that in 2024 about 30,500 women in Canada would be diagnosed with breast cancer, representing roughly a quarter of new cancer cases among women that year. The Society also notes that men are diagnosed with breast cancer, with approximately 290 Canadian men expected to be diagnosed in 2024.
RIPTB serves the municipalities of Boisbriand, Lorraine, Rosemère and Sainte-Thérèse in the Laurentides region. Residents in these communities can expect to see the awareness patch during routine patrols and community policing activities this month.
