TORCH RELAY FOR NIAGARA 2022 CANADA SUMMER GAMES BEGINS ITS JOURNEY ACROSS NIAGARA WITH DISEMBARKMENT CEREMONY IN PORT COLBORNE

Friday’s event at Lock 8 took place mere moments after CSL St-Laurent completed its historic journey along the St. Lawrence Seaway from Montreal — making it the first torch-bearing vessel in the Canada Games’ 55-year history

June 17, 2022 (Niagara, Ont.) — This evening, at Lock 8 Gateway Park, the Niagara 2022 Host Society, along with Canada Steamship Lines (CSL), the Niagara Region, and the City of Port Colborne, officially welcomed the Roly McLenahan Canada Games Torch to Niagara exactly 50 days ahead of the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games, which are scheduled for this summer from August 6-21. Over the last three days, the Roly McLenahan Torch forged a historic path, when it traveled by water for the first time in Canada Games history to Port Colborne from Montreal on the biofuel-powered bulk carrier CSL St-Laurent via the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Friday’s disembarkment ceremony at one of the world’s greatest engineering marvels, the Welland Canal, marked the official beginning of the 2022 Canada Games Torch Relay in the Niagara Region. Over the next seven weekends, the Canada Games Torch will travel to every corner of the Region, visiting each of Niagara’s 12 local municipalities, before completing its last leg in St. Catharines (see schedule below). By the time the torch arrives at the Meridian Centre for the Games’ Opening Ceremony on August 6 to officially commence the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games, the Torch will have traveled through 21 communities in both Ontario and Quebec — covering approximately 1,200 kilometres by foot, bike, horse, and boat.

The Niagara 2022 Torch Relay began its journey on June 6 with a traditional lighting ceremony at the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill. The torch then traveled from Ottawa to Montreal by way of the Trans Canada Trail, the longest network of multi-use recreational trails in the world, arriving at St. Lambert Lock, where it embarked on CSL St-Laurent — the sister ship of CSL Welland, which adorns a majestic mural called The Runners that captures the spirit of the 28th edition of the Canada Games.

Over 150 community members from Niagara will proudly carry the Torch through Niagara over the coming weeks. Each will carry the Roly McLenahan Torch approximately one kilometre across one of the 12 local municipalities in the Niagara Region (see list of torchbearers for each municipal leg below) and will play an important role in welcoming Canada’s largest multi-sport event to Niagara.

“The official arrival of the Roly McLenahan Torch in Niagara is a significant milestone in our journey to the Games,” said Doug Hamilton, Board Chair of the Niagara 2022 Host Society. “We are very grateful to our Torch Relay’s presenting sponsor, Canada Steamship Lines, and the Trans Canada Trail for playing an integral role in bringing the Torch to Niagara. In the coming weeks, all of Niagara will join this final stretch of our Games’ journey as we prepare to welcome Canada’s next generation of athletes to Niagara for the 28th edition of the Canada Games — an event following the pandemic that will no doubt bring Canadians back together for what promises to be a phenomenal celebration.”

“It has been a memorable experience for me, the CSL St-Laurent crew and CSL to have been part of the exciting and historic torch relay journey,” remarked Anita Lambe, Captain of CSL St-Laurent, who was selected to participate in the 1993 Canada Games. “Carrying the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games flame in the ceremonial lantern on board our ship brought home the significance of the Games as a unifier of people through sport. We’re already a tight knit family on board, and passing the lantern from one crew member to the next really amplified our sense of cohesion. We wish all the best to the athletes and look forward to cheering them on in August!”

“The celebration of the disembarkment ceremony is an important event as we continue to inch closer to the Opening Ceremony of the 2022 Canada Summer Games,” said Jim Bradley, Chair of the Niagara Region. “I congratulate each of the local torchbearers who have been selected to carry the Roly McLenahan Torch throughout our local communities — I want to thank all of the presenting sponsors for the torch relay as their contribution is making this exciting event a reality.”

“We’re honoured to be welcoming the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games Torch Relay and flame to Port Colborne. The Welland Canal and shipping industry are integral to the history and success of not only our community but our country, and so it is fitting that the torch has arrived onboard CSL St. Laurent here at Lock 8 Gateway Park,” added Bill Steele, Mayor of the City of Port Colborne. “We are looking forward to all the events planned in our city and we encourage the community to PORTicipate with us.”

Schedule of N22 Torch Relay in the Niagara Region

Date	Municipality	Time	Location
Saturday, June 25	Thorold Torchbearers	9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	Start: 35 Albert St. W Finish: Battle of Beaverdams Park
Sunday, June 26	Niagara Falls Torchbearers	9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	Start: 7190 Morrison St. Finish: 7190 Morrison St.
Saturday, July 2	Fort Erie Torchbearers	9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	Start: Crystal Ridge Arena Finish: Fort Erie Leisureplex
Sunday, July 3	Port Colborne Torchbearers	9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	Start: HH Knoll Lakeview Park Finish: HH Knoll Lakeview Park
Saturday, July 9	Wainfleet Torchbearers	9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	Start: Wainfleet Arena Finish: Wainfleet Arena
Sunday, July 10	Welland Torchbearers	9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	Start: Canadian Tire (158 Primeway Dr.) Finish: Seaway Mall
Friday, July 15	West Lincoln Torchbearers	3:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.	Start: West Lincoln Leisureplex Finish: West Lincoln Community Centre
Saturday, July 16	Pelham Torchbearers	9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	Start: Summerfest Stage (Town Hall) Finish: Summerfest Stage (Town Hall)
Saturday, July 23	Grimsby Torchbearers	9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	Start: 295 Hunter Rd. (John Deere) Finish: Peach King Centre
Sunday, July 24	Lincoln Torchbearers	9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	Start: Rotary Park Finish: Lincoln Museum & Cultural Centre
Saturday, July 30	Niagara-on-the-Lake Torchbearers	9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	Start: Queenston Heights Park Finish: Meridian Arena
Sunday, July 31	St. Catharines Torchbearers	9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	Start: FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Finish: Canadian Tire (274 Fourth Ave.)

Any media requests for these Torch Relay stops may be directed to Niagara 2022’s Manager of Media & Communications Christopher Séguin by emailing him at cseguin@2022canadagames.ca. For images of the 2022 Canada Games Torch Relay, please visit the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games’ photo gallery.

Held every two years, alternating between winter and summer, the Canada Games are the country’s marquee event for amateur sport representing the highest level of national competition for thousands of up-and-coming Canadian athletes. The 28th edition of the Canada Games will mark just the third occasion in the event’s history that it will have taken place in the province of Ontario and the first time in 21 years. In total, more than 5,000 participants and close to 4,500 volunteers are expected to take part in the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games scheduled for August 6-21. The 2022 Games will take place at 19 different venues across the Niagara Region and feature 18 different sports, including an inaugural rugby sevens competition and the return of lacrosse after a 37-year absence from the Games.

Tickets for this summer’s Games are currently available for purchase online.

About the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games

At the peak of Niagara’s boldest summer yet, more than 5,000 up-and-coming athletes, their coaches and support staff will gather to compete for the podium in Canada’s largest multi-sport event. From August 6 to 21, 2022, Niagara will surge stronger than ever on the national stage. The 2022 Games, made possible thanks to funding and support from the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, the Niagara Region, and the Canada Games Council, will give rise to new legacies of ambition, confidence, and compassion that will inspire generations to come.

For further information, visit us at niagara2022games.ca or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (@2022canadagames).

Media Contact:

Christopher Séguin, Manager, Media & Communications

cseguin@2022canadagames.ca

289.880.4005

About Canada Steamship Lines

Canada Steamship Lines is a division of The CSL Group, the largest owner and operator of self-unloading ships in the world. Based in Montreal with regional operations in St. Catharines, Halifax and Winnipeg, as well as in the United States, Australia and Europe, CSL delivers millions of tonnes of essential cargo annually for customers in the construction, steel, energy and agri-food sectors. Canada Steamship Lines vessels operate under Canada’s national flag and are fully crewed by Canadians.