One could say more than $15,000 is a lot of money to be raised for a charity. But for Bruce Fisher, it’s just a couple of bike rides.

The 79-year-old retiree begins his ride to Sarnia on July 30.

He said the seven day, seven-stop trek is in support of the Haliburton Red Wolves Special Olympic Team.

Why does he go on these long bike trips?

“Actually, I don’t even like cycling,” said Fisher. “Since I started, I decided I wasn’t really stuck on it. But I decided it was a good way to raise money for charities and that’s the only reason I ride.”

In 1998, he and his wife Judith retired to Minden and that is when his cycling career started. He’d never cycled professionally or for sport before the move.

Some of the rides he’s completed are from Minden to London, twice to Newfoundland and once from Thunder Bay to Minden.

Over the past 10 years, Fisher has raised $15,868 for the Red Wolves. He’s had to take breaks from his cycling, though.

In 2012, he was diagnosed with colon cancer and Judith said he finally got the all-clear last year.

“He’s survived cancer,” said Judith. “If he wants to ride his bike to Sarnia, he’s going to do it.”

The two of them only worried about his sleeping arrangements for his trip.

Originally, Fisher was going to cycle the seven days with his tent and sleeping supplies on his back, like he did on his second trip to Newfoundland. But he says he was “71 years young” on that trip, so the pair decided he would stay in hotels and bed and breakfasts for this trip.

“I had my concerns when he was camping but my logic for it is that this is his 10th year anniversary that he’s done fundraising and he wants to have one more good bike ride,” said Judith.

The Fishers ask anyone looking to pledge money to Fisher and the Red Wolves to email Judith at judefisher3474@gmail.com for more information.

Haliburton and Bancroft midwives are welcoming an additional $35,000 toward their services but indicated frontline workers need more support.

The province announced July 8 it would invest an additional $28 million across Ontario to expand midwifery services. The province also said it is working to expand the scope of practice for midwives to allow them to prescribe more medications to clients.

Midwives expected the funding, as they negotiated it as part of a multi-year contract with the previous Liberal government. But Midwifery Services of Haliburton-Bancroft practice partner Rebecca Weeks said it is still welcome news.

“We are very pleased that the Ontario government continues to support midwifery,” Weeks said. “Midwifery is in high demand. Many women are turned away and we currently have some waiting lists.”

“This additional funding will mean more expecting families across Ontario will be able to access quality care from a midwife,” Minister of Health Christine Elliott said in a press release.

However, other funding conflicts in midwifery remain.

The province axed operational funding to the College of Midwives Ontario last November, which had been going for more than 25 years. The college regulates midwives in the province, but was the only medical college which was receiving provincial funding.

The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario also found last September midwives were underpaid due to gender discrimination. The province is appealing the ruling. More is expected to come from the tribunal in the fall, according to an Association of Ontario Midwives press release.

“We cannot value midwifery care and undervalue the midwife who provides that care. The two are inextricably linked,” association president Elizabeth Brandeis said.

Weeks said that pay discrepancy can potentially cause challenges attracting people to the field. She added demand for the services remains high in the region, with their caseload increasing by approximately 30 per cent each year.

But the province’s announcement for midwifery support could bode well, Weeks said.

“We’re about to begin negotiations with the new provincial government,” Weeks said. “We’re hopeful they’re going to support our practice, increasing funding to our practice, so we’ll be able to meet the caseload demand.”

The province’s overhaul to the health care system could also lead to opportunity, Weeks said. Haliburton-Bancroft is the only midwifery service with a catchment area lacking a delivery hospital. Deliveries instead occur in Peterborough. That was a decision of the Central East Local Health Integration Network in 2009, Weeks said. But with those networks dissolving under the province’s health care reforms, she said perhaps there could be change.

“Potentially there could be an appetite to bring birth back to the community, which would be fantastic for families here,” Weeks said. “Especially families marginalized by economics and having a hard time travelling outside the community to access care.”