Pan Am Games torch relay route revealed
41-day celebration will cross Canada
The Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games will kick off with a 41-day torch relay that will cross the whole country and bring the celebration to more than 180 communities, organizers announced Tuesday.
After the Pan Am flame is lit during a traditional Aztec lighting ceremony in Mexico, it will arrive in Toronto on May 30 to begin it's journey to over 130 Ontario communities and five communities outside of the host province.
The following day, the flame will be in Thunder Bay, Ont., where it will visit the Terry Fox Monument.
"The Games are all about bringing people together, and the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games torch relay will unite Ontarians, Canadians and communities," said Saäd Rafi, chief executive officer of Toronto's Pan Am Games committee.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for people to experience the emotion, excitement and significance of the Pan Am flame."
The celebrations will continue across the country as the torch will visit:
- Six Canadian Forces bases
- A national and provincial park
- Five national historic sites
- Five First Nations communities
Three thousand torchbearers will carry the flame through communities across Ontario as well as Richmond, B.C., Calgary, Winnipeg, Montreal and Halifax.
The torch will be in attendance on Parliament Hill in Ottawa for Canada Day before making it's final trek to Toronto for the opening ceremony, signifying the official start of the 2015 Pan Am Games, on July 10.
Specific timing of celebrations and street-level routes will be available in May. A separate Parapan Am Games torch relay will take place before those Games start on Aug. 7.