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| Backgrounder(s) & FactSheet(s): | Backgrounder |
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| Backgrounder(s) & FactSheet(s): | Backgrounder |
VICTORIA
– From June 12 to July 6, the CP Spirit of 150 Rail
Tour will visit 33 communities in the Kootenays, the Rockies, the Shuswap,
Kamloops, the Fraser Canyon and Vancouver
as part of the year-long BC150 celebration, announced Tourism, Sport and the
Arts Minister Stan Hagen and Canadian Pacific president and CEO Fred Green.
“For
over 100 years, rail travel has played an important role in B.C.’s heritage and
economy,” said Hagen. “The CP Spirit of 150 Rail Tour will highlight our rich
rail history while bringing BC150 celebrations to life through live
performances and a special exhibition created especially for this tour by the
Royal BC Museum.”
The CP Spirit of 150 Rail Tour includes the vintage
CP 2816 Empress steam locomotive and support cars, two vintage passenger
coaches, a vintage business car, a heritage baggage car converted into a
traveling museum, and a vintage stage car. Visitors can view historic displays,
watch a stage show and interact with costumed performers depicting some of
B.C.’s most entertaining and notorious historical figures.
“The
CP Spirit of 150 Rail Tour gives us the opportunity to connect our past,
present and future in the communities we serve every day,” said Green. “Canadian Pacific is a proud BC150 sponsor
and proud to be a partner in the Pacific Century.”
As
part of the project, the Royal BC Museum (RBCM) has transformed a 1958 Union
Pacific baggage car into a rolling museum – a traveling version of “Free
Spirit: Stories of You, Me and B.C.,” a major exhibition about British Columbia
on display at the museum in Victoria until Jan. 11, 2009.
BC150 is a celebration of the 150th
anniversary of the founding of the Crown Colony of British Columbia in 1858.
Every community is invited to participate in this year-long celebration of
B.C.’s cultural diversity, community strength and achievement. For more
information on BC150 events and programs, please visit www.bc150.ca.
Canadian Pacific is committed to being the safest,
most fluid railway in North America. Canadian Pacific is proud to sponsor the
CP Spirit of 150 rail tour celebrating the founding of the Crown Colony of
British Columbia. Learn more about Canadian Pacific at www.cpr.ca.
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contact: |
Communications Manager Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts 250 387-2799 |
Senior Manager – Media Relations Canadian Pacific 778 772-9636 |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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