Cops for Cancer started in 1994 in Alberta when Edmonton Police Sergeant Gary Goulet befriended a young boy suffering from cancer.  As a result of chemotherapy, the young boy lost his hair and suffered teasing from his schoolmates.  Sergeant Goulet, who had already shaved his head, offered the boy moral support during his illness, striving to make him feel that he could persevere and beat this disease.

The Canadian Cancer Society Cops for Cancer campaign was introduced in the Society’s B.C. and Yukon Division in 1998.Since that time, the Cops for Cancer fundraising initiative has raised over ten million dollars across Canada for cancer research programs for cancer patients.  Money raised by the Cops for Cancer Tour is designated to pediatric cancer research, Camp Goodtimes, and programs that benefit children with cancer.

The Canadian Cancer Society runs two Cops for Cancer fundraising events.  The first is the Cops for Cancer bike ride, that involves riding 700 km over 7 days; The second is Cops for Cancer – Team Ironman, this is an Ironman distance triathlon event. There are four regional “tours” in British Columbia: Tour de Rock on Vancouver Island; Tour de Coast in Greater Vancouver; Tour de Valley in the Fraser Valley; and Tour de North.