Longtime firefighter battles terminal cancer after retiring
A drive-by parade was held in Barrie on Monday afternoon, honoring a local firefighter who is battling terminal cancer.
For just over 44 years Grant McCulloch dedicated his life to public service while working as a firefighter at Base Borden until his retirement in late 2020.
McCulloch was only a few months into his retirement when he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer which doctors say is progressive and his time is short.
As a sign of support for McCulloch, on Monday those who stood by his side on the job found a way to connect with him from a distance, as dozens of fire trucks and vehicles lined the road outside his hospital room at RVH, where he watched from his window.
"It is exciting and great to see their support," said McCulloch who talked to CTV News from his hospital room.
A ladder was lifted up to the window where McCulloch was watching above, as two of his former colleagues presented him with a plaque honouring his years of service.
"Grant was looking forward to his retirement party but because of COVID-19 we couldn't have a send-off for him, so we came with this idea to do a drive-by and it just ballooned and we wanted to show our respect for him," said Jim Brown, Deputy Fire Chief, Base Borden.
McCulloch is expected to remain in the hospital while receiving support from his medical team. He will also spend time with his wife, two children, and 7 grandchildren.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.