When I was first awarded the title of Mr Bears of Toronto I was both thrilled and a little intimidated.   Our community had not had a representative in years or a club with a charity. So we were starting with a blank slate.

With the help of the existing board; we decided this was not going to be one of those titles for a day as seen in many other bear runs or in our past.  I was proud to represent the club at the first Outgames in Montreal, IBR in San Francisco, New York City and at Midwest Bearfest in Indianapolis. Also, the travelling experience did enlighten myself to how unique the Canadian bear community is compared to our counterparts in the USA and Europe.

Our fundraising efforts at Pride and our initial bear run helped us to raise almost $1,200 dollars for our charity of choice for 2006/2007- PWA Toronto.

John Casassanta
Mr. Bears of Toronto 2006