The nation will get a chance to celebrate the 2019 Canada Winter Games in Red Deer when a cross-Canada torch relay is run for the first time ever.
In October, the Games torch will start being carried by athletes and dignitaries from Halifax to Victoria. The torch will end up in Red Deer Feb. 15, where it will be used to light the Winter Games cauldron during opening ceremonies.
While some 3,600 national athletes will be welcomed to the city for the 2019 sporting event, even more attention will focused on this city with the extended torch relay, said Red Deer Mayor Tara Veer at a press conference held Tuesday in front of the Centrium.
“It’s not just about bringing fellow Canadians to Red Deer, but bringing Red Deer to the rest of Canada,” Veer added.
In past years, the Canada Winter games torch relay was a small affair, with the torch flown from Ottawa straight to the hosting province. It was carried through a few communities before lighting up the cauldron.
But the 2019 relay will be go nation-wide, through the financial sponsorship of MNP accounting, consulting and tax services of Red Deer. The company did not disclose the amount of its sponsorship, but stated it will pay for costs related to the relay, including flying the torch between some of the more distant communities.
Randy Mowat, the company’s senior vice-president of marketing, said MNP started in Red Deer in 1988, and now has offices all over Canada — so the the idea of extending the Games’ torch relay nation-wide fit with the company’s history and philosophy. “We wanted to give back to our country.”
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Whether in sports, or business, MNP believes in dreaming big, pushing to achieve goals and doing your best, said Mowat. “We feel the torch relay is in keeping with the Canadian spirit… and we hope to lead to it becoming a legacy for many more years to come.”
Local Games board chair Lyn Radford and president Scott Robinson were thrilled that the 2019 Canada Winter Games will have the first-ever torch relay that ties the country together while shining a spotlight on Red Deer in the prelude to the Feb. 15 to March 3.
“We dreamed this and it’s happening! It’s awesome,” said Radford, who added “The MNP Torch Relay will bring the magic of the Canada Games to communities across the nation.”
Red Deer North MLA Kim Schreiner feels it will be a “tangible” way to boost excitement and support for the Red Deer-hosted sporting event. “We cannot wait to welcome the country to our province.”
Nominations for torch carriers will open in June.
lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com
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