MNP Canada Games Torch Relay in Lacombe

Lacombe and area residents are invited to join the celebration and cheer on local torchbearers on Saturday, February 2, 2019, as the 2019 MNP Canada Games Torch Relay stops in Lacombe.

Join MNP as they host an exciting community event with games, activities and giveaways. Come meet Waskasoo, the 2019 Canada Winter Games mascot! Cheer on local torchbearers as they carry the torch on its last legs of a national journey that began at the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill in Ottawa and visits 48 communities across Canada before arriving in Red Deer for the Opening Ceremony of the 2019 Games.

Our torchbearers will carry the torch on a 4.64 km loop around Cranna Lake (see map), beginning at 11:30 a.m. at the Michener House Museum. The relay will pass through the historic downtown, up along Woodland Drive before winding its way past the Central Alberta Christian High School, Lacombe Composite High School and the Gary Moe Auto Group Sportsplex on its way down to for a special ceremony at the Lacombe Memorial Centre.

This is a family event and all are welcome. The festivities officially kick off at 12:30 p.m. Enjoy complimentary food and beverages, activities and more from some of local businesses such as Tim Horton’s, ATB, Red Deer Orthodontics and the Co-operators.

The seven torchbearers chosen to carry the 2019 MNP Winter Games Torch through Lacombe are:

• MP Blaine Calkins
• Mayor Grant Creasey
• Reid Wilson
• Larry Michielson
• Patricia Nelson
• Mackenzie Van Damme
• Tyler Graham

  Torchbearer profiles are available at www.canadagames.ca/2019/torchbearers. The MNP Canada Games Torch Relay is a significant element of the Canada Games, and has united communities across the nation for the past 51 years.

From Red Deer College

BMO Financial Group’s support honoured at unveiling event

Red Deer, January 21, 2019 – At an event in the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre/Centre des Jeux du Canada Gary W. Harris this morning, Red Deer College proudly unveiled the BMO Financial Group Wellness Studio.

In recognition of their $300,000 contribution toward RDC’s Shaping Our Future campaign, the loft-like space above the south end of Builders’ Hall in RDC’s newest facility has been named for the next five years.

This stunning space is a vital component of the Collicutt Performance Fitness Zone, and is used for fitness classes, yoga and meditation. The BMO Financial Group Wellness Studio’s floor-to-ceiling windows look out over the NOVA Chemicals Waskasoo Creek Nature Walk on the south end, and Builders’ Hall to the north. This bright, quiet space contributes to the building’s holistic approach toward wellness by providing an indoor fitness space that connects users to the natural landscape beyond its walls, supporting an individual’s spiritual, environmental and physical wellness.

BMO Financial Group is a committed community partner, and has supported RDC as a proud donor and sponsor in the past and with other initiatives. Their most recent contribution to Red Deer College and the Shaping Our Future campaign is an investment in the health and wellness of RDC students as well as the community members who use the College’s newest facility.

For Red Deer College, this community investment reinforces the support of industry and local businesses for the role that RDC plays in the region.

“We’re grateful, and proud to acknowledge, the strong support that BMO Financial Group has provided to Red Deer College, to support our students and community today and in the future,” says Joel Ward, RDC President & CEO. “We have a shared vision for our region, as community leaders who recognize that we have the power to shape the future of our region, our province and our communities by investing in the total wellness of our citizens.”

The Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre, which is perhaps the most recognizable result of the Shaping Our Future campaign, is only one component of the work RDC has been able to accomplish with the support of community partners like BMO Financial Group.

The College has increased its footprint by nearly a third, with new infrastructure projects including an Alternative Energy Lab and New Residence. RDC has also developed new programs and enhanced existing programs that prepare graduates for success within new and emerging careers that support central Alberta businesses in a diverse and changing economy. All of this will ensure RDC can best continue to serve our learners and communities as we become a comprehensive regional teaching university.

About RDC: For 55 years, RDC has been proudly serving its learners and communities. The College continues to grow programs, facilities and opportunities as it transitions to become a comprehensive regional teaching university during the next three to five years. This year, RDC will add seven new programs to more than 100 established programs (including full degrees, certificates, diplomas and skilled trades programs). RDC educates 7,500 full-and part-time credit students and more than 38,000 youth and adult learners in the School of Continuing Education each year. The College is expanding its teaching, learning, athletic and living spaces with the additions of the state-of-the-art Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre/Centre des Jeux du Canada Gary W. Harris, Alternative Energy Lab and construction of a new Residence which all enhance RDC’s Alternative Energy Initiative. Main campus is strategically situated on 290 acres of Alberta’s natural landscape along Queen Elizabeth II Highway. RDC is also proud to serve its Donald School of Business students housed at a downtown campus, located in the Millennium Centre, in addition to housing teaching and learning space at the Welikoklad Event Centre.