Beating an Olympian, and other top moments from WWF-Canada’s first Canoe Challenge

WWF-Canada’s first Canoe Challenge enticed 60 employees from some of Canada’s biggest companies to escape the office and get onto the water with Olympic canoeist Gabriel Beauchesne-Sévigny recently to raise funds to protect Canada’s freshwater while deepening their connection to nature. Competition was fierce as company leaders and staffers strived to be first to complete the nature-based scavenger hunt, which was held at Parc de la Rivière-des-Mille-Îles in Laval, Que.
 Here are the top five moments:

1. To help get participants in top form, Olympic canoeist Gabriel Beauchesne-Sévigny gave an exclusive paddling lesson and shared why his appreciation of rivers runs deep.

2.  BNP Paribas took home the title of top fundraising team, raising $2,500 for WWF-Canada’s freshwater conservation work. As a thank you for their outstanding efforts, Gabriel Beauchesne-Sévigny paddled with their team.

“We are very proud to be a part of WWF’s Canoe Challenge. As a participant in the global economy, BNP Paribas has a role to play in protecting the environment, including engaging employees who wish to contribute to the development of a sustainable and responsible world,” said team captain Vincent Préau, a senior IT project manager at BNP Paribas.

3. Despite having an Olympic canoeist paddling with them, BNP Paribas couldn’t beat out the speedy Hewlett Packard Enterprise team, which completed the challenge with the fastest time of exactly one hour.

4. This friendly competition proved to be an excellent team building tool as colleagues from Canada Steamship Lines and HP Inc. paddled the Rivière-des-Mille-Îles with enthusiasm.

5. Hunting for scavenger hunt clues once on land, team members from companies such as BMO deepened their connection to nature and their drive to protect it.