How MEC Laval Came Together to Support the Trans Canada Trail During the Great Canadian Hike
When Marc-Antoine Aubin, Inventory Specialist with MEC Laval, heard about the Great Canadian Hike – a 30-day challenge that ran in September and October of 2025, encouraging people across Canada to get outside and hike, bike, paddle and roll in support of Trans Canada Trail–it seemed like a natural fit for him and the MEC team. “The initial motivation was to have a team event and do some team-building,” he says.
Marc joined the MEC Laval team in the summer of 2025, and he quickly noticed how active his colleagues are. “It was inspiring to be around,” he says. An avid hiker, Marc-Antoine adds that he’s “always had a soft spot for good causes, and the Great Canadian Hike came at the perfect time to build up the team a little and create common points of interest.”
Marc-Antoine spread the word among the team at MEC Laval, and the team grew … and grew! Overall, 17 employees joined the Great Canadian Hike, logging an impressive 2,246 kilometres over the 30-day challenge. Employees headed out on their own and hiked, biked and jogged to log kilometres, and would share their experiences with their colleagues at work as inspiration and encouragement to keep going.
Photo credit: Marc-André Aubin
Exploring Montreal’s North Shore
To log his kilometres, Marc-Antoine combined his daily bike rides to and from work with some weekend hikes in the Laurentians at the peak of fall-colour season. “I grew up in the Laurentians, and we all have our special spots that feel a little magical,” he says.
Photo credit: Marc-André Aubin
An added motivation to stay active
Most of MEC Laval’s employees would describe themselves as leading active lifestyles. Even so, Marc-Antoine notes that the Great Canadian Hike was a real motivator to maintain outdoor activity regularly over the month-long challenge. “Personally, it really made a difference. Being surrounded by very active people pushed me to be more active as well,” he says. “It was really the cherry on top of the sundae.”
One MEC Laval employee, Étienne, logged over 900 kilometres on his bike throughout the challenge, and finished by winning a prize for the highest kilometres logged for cycling in one week.
Photo credit: Marc-André Aubin
Spreading awareness about the Great Canadian Hike – and supporting trails across Canada
At MEC Laval, the team embraced the Great Canadian Hike challenge, in-store and out. They put up signs at work about the MEC Laval team, helping to raise awareness about the event among coworkers and customers. “Quebecers are passionate about the outdoors,” Marc-Antoine says, and adds that the store is situated between two key routes that lead to the Laurentians and Lanaudière, two regions of the province that are ideal for trail enthusiasts (and home to some iconic Trans Canada Trail sections, including the iconic Parc linéaire le P’tit Train du Nord).
MEC Laval’s support for the Trans Canada Trail – and trails in general – echo MEC Canada’s impactful support for trails through their Trails Giveback Day, in which the organization donates a portion of their proceeds to Canadian outdoor organizations who advocate for access, education, maintenance and protection of Canadian trails. In 2025, Trans Canada Trail was honoured to be chosen as a beneficiary.
In the end, the MEC Laval team very much enjoyed their experience throughout the Great Canadian Hike, and are already making plans for next year’s challenge. “It was a great experience for all involved,” Marc-Antoine says, “and we were all happy to support a good cause at the same time.”
Photo credit: Marc-André Aubin
Join this year’s Great Canadian Hike!
Donate to Trans Canada Trail.
Main photo credit: Marc-André Aubin
