Winter is still a few months away, but the anticipation and excitement of the upcoming 2015 Canada Winter Games is growing every day.
We are now less than 150 days until the north is illuminated with hundreds of athletes and thousands of spectators coming to Prince George to experience what Prince George and Northern B.C. has to offer.
Williams Lake, while not competing for gold in any of the sporting events, is also in competition in the Canada Winter Games. Quesnel and Williams Lake were chosen to be host cities for the Torch Relay Celebration Challenge representing the Cariboo region.
While voting has just closed, I know many of us in Williams Lake never bow down to a friendly challenge with our friends in Quesnel. We will just have to wait until Sept. 24, but hopefully the votes were in our favour.
But in all seriousness, the Canada Winter Games has united First Nations hosting competitions on traditional territory, communities throughout Northern B.C. and the entire province.
This competition will allow us to showcase our beautiful scenery, hospitable people and the bright future that our region has for many decades to come.
If you are interested in attending the winter games, tickets and passes are on sale now. This is one of the largest amateur winter sport competitions being held this year, with many alumni becoming professional athletes or competing on the world stage as future Olympians.
In rural and smaller towns across Canada, junior and amateur sport is a part of the community. There is no better place to host the Canada Winter Games than Prince George.
I wish the organizers, athletes and volunteers the best of luck between now and the start of competition as they prepare to put on a great show for all of us.
Donna Barnett is the Liberal MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin.
