For immediate release May 20, 2007

LOCAL SPIRIT OF BC COMMUNITY COMMITTEE TO HELP SUNSHINE COAST CELEBRATE BC 2008

The Sunshine Coast is going to celebrate BC’s 150^th anniversary in style in 2008, if the local Spirit of BC Community Committee has its way.

Hamilton McClymont, Chair for the SPIRIT OF BC COMMUNITY COMMITTEE - Sunshine Coast (SBCCCSC), attended a two-day summit meeting in Vancouver in early May, hosted by Premier Campbell, the Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts and 2010 Legacies Now. The purpose was to identify ways local Spirit of BC Community Committees could start planning their BC 2008 celebrations – including securing their share of a newly-announced $1 million fund.

“Minister Hagen and the Premier announced a $1 million fund that committees and communities like ours can access to help get our plans off the ground,” said McClymont, Chair of the SBCCCSC. “The Province has established “BC 2008” to mark BC’s sesquicentennial and has invited the network of Spirit of BC Community Committees to help honour our past and celebrate our future. We are participating in planning for BC 2008, which should be accomplished by this Fall. In the meantime, we are asking people here on the Coast to let us know of special anniversaries to celebrate in 2008. For example, in the Interior, there will be events to mark the bicentennial of the explorations of Fraser and Thompson. In the Peace River District, celebrations will focus on the 50^th anniversary of the founding of communities there. We’re looking for Sunshine Coast equivalents. We also want to hear of any major event anniversaries, for instance, it is the xth year since xxx. BC 2008 will give us an opportunity to link the multitude of events we enjoy on the Sunshine Coast to the marketing resources of a provincial celebration”.

In addition to BC 2008 preparations, 100 representatives from 85 communities shared their experiences in building community spirit and capitalizing on the opportunities that are arising from the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games preparations. Some key accomplishments included Spirit of BC Week events (including a record 44 events hosted by the Vanderhoof committee), and a 120-page guide developed by the West Kootenay Boundary Region to promote their region as a training destination for foreign teams pre-2010.

“This was the first summit we’ve held with all of the committees since 2004, and it’s staggering to see the work they’ve done and the progress they’ve made to build opportunities and enthusiasm in their communities,” said Allen Langdon, Director of the Spirit of BC program for 2010 Legacies Now.

Regional groups of the committees will meet over the summer to help prepare and refine their plans and funding proposals for BC 2008 projects and events.

McClymont hopes the community from Port Mellon to Earls Cove will get involved in this once in a life time opportunity. “Our job is to connect the Sunshine Coast community to the economic opportunities that the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games are bringing to British Columbia. Your Committee is working hard with the Regional District to complete the Dakota Ridge project so that we can attract a visiting team to train here. Success will bring increased awareness of everything the Sunshine Coast has to offer, resulting in the growth of a key component of our economy, tourism.”