Kicking Horse Mountain Resort welcomed Premier Gordon Campbell on the evening of Day 84 of the Olympic Torch Relay.
KHMR President and General Manager Steve Paccagnan, welcomed everyone in an opening speech, saying what an incredible day it had been in Golden.
“The Olympic spirit has certainly been ignited today,” he said.
Paccagnan went on to welcome some distinguished guests to the resort, including Premier Campbell, Mayor Christina Benty and Federal MP Jim Abbott. Also in attendance were local Torchbearer Carmen Oszust, representatives of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, Oberto Oberti Architecture and Urban Design Inc., Stuart McLaughlin, KHMR board director and Ruud Jacobs, director of the Board of Management for Ballast Nedham.
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is pleased an honoured to be a part of welcoming the Olympic Torch through our magnificent gateway to British Columbia,” said Paccagnan, adding, “In addition to 2010 being the year of Canada’s Winter Games, this also marks Kicking Horse Mountain Resort’s tenth anniversary.
Paccagnan said that to date, KHMR has invested over $100 million into the local economy.
For all that’s been achieved over the last decade, I’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Premier Gordon Campbell, the staff with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, Ballast Nedham, the Town of Golden, our homeowner community at Kicking Horse and last, but not least, the dedicated staff and the community of Golden who come here every day to make this place special.
Premier Campbell spoke to those in attendance about the important role that KHMR plays in the region.
Tonight I wanted to take a moment to say thanks to Kicking Horse because Kicking Horse has lifted this entire region of the province up,” said Campbell, adding, “This is the gateway to British Columbia for the vast majority of the country, it is a place that is incredibly special. It’s got an enormous future in front of it and with the kind of commitment we’ve seen from the people at Kicking Horse Resort…your future is incredibly bright.
Campbell also made a special announcement to those in attendance.
“I can also tell you tonight, that at the Provincial level, we have now approved Kicking Horse’s Master Plan. It opens up enormous opportunities; an opportunity to build tourism, to build this resort and to let it take the next step forward.”
After hearing from Premier Campbell, KHMR treated the already excited crowd to a beautiful Torch Light Parade that saw local skiers and snowboarders ride down from the top of the Catamount Chair with their own torches. A great fireworks display followed the Torch Light Parade.
