For immediate release

December 10, 2009

FUNDING TO HELP WELCOME THE OLYMPIC TORCH IN LEAMINGTON & CHATHAM-KENT

LEAMINGTON—MPP Pat Hoy announced $15,000 each to Leamington and Chatham-Kent to help prepare celebrations welcoming the Olympic Torch.

“The Olympic flame represents the human spirit of hard work, perseverance, and being the best you can be. This is an inspirational time for our community and an opportunity for us to come together, celebrate our achievements, cheer on our athletes and show the world what a great province we live in,” said Hoy.

To help mark the arrival of the Olympic flame, Hoy announced $30,000 in provincial funding to Leamington and Chatham-Kent to boost its torch relay celebrations and attract more visitors. The Olympic flame will arrive on December 22 in Chatham-Kent and December 23 in Leamington for a celebration to bring together Ontarians, celebrate community achievements and cheer on Ontario athletes.

The Government of Ontario is a proud partner of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

“We are proud to support local communities and promote Ontario to the world. We know There’s no Place like This to live, visit and invest. We are looking forward to cheering on our athletes and promoting Ontario as a world-class tourism destination,” said Tourism Minister Monique Smith.

· The torch will travel 45,000 kilometres across Canada. It will spend 21 days in Ontario, visit 232 communities and involve 2,900 torchbearers.
· There will be 42 communities hosting a mid-day or evening celebration and 20 First Nations communities hosting a traditional Blessing of the Flame ceremony.
· The Olympic flame will be within a one-hour drive for 92% of Ontarians.
· The Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games are expected to have over 350,000 visitors, over 3 billion TV viewers worldwide and over 10,000 media in attendance.

To find out more: http://www.tourism.gov.on.ca/olympicgames2010/

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Media Contact: Mike Ferguson, 519-351-0510/ 1-800-265-3992