Olympic spirit to light Interlake

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This article was published 06/01/2010 (5971 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The spirit of the Olympics will light the heart of New Iceland and other parts of the Interlake today.

Thirty torchbearers are set to carry the Olympic torch through the streets of Gimli, Peguis First Nation and St. Laurent on Day 69 of its relay across the country.

The torch will only spend about 30 minutes in each of the three communities, but large crowds are expected to greet it — as well as two possible protests.

Premier Greg Selinger is in the No. 2 spot for carrying the torch in Gimli.

Selinger said Canwest, as a local Olympic sponsor, chose to have Manitoba’s premier carry the torch before he was voted leader of the NDP after Premier Gary Doer stepped down last year. "This is an honour… It’s nice to be part of it.

"(Last year), the people of Thompson came out in large numbers and people in Churchill came out in large numbers too. Manitobans have embraced the Olympic spirit."

Few politicians are among the 12,000 torchbearers across the country.

"We encouraged our partners to select individuals who represent the Olympic ideals and several felt that politicians would be appropriate to invite," said a spokesperson for the Vancouver 2010 Torch Relay. No other premiers have been chosen to run as torchbearers.

Selinger said people shouldn’t expect to see a quick sprint from him in Gimli. "We are told we can take our time and talk to the crowd and let the people see (the torch)," he said.

Selinger will take the flame from aspiring photographer and model Leah Gair, 19, from Winnipeg.

She was chosen by Coca-Cola after telling them she immersed herself in the arts and water polo after suffering abuse as a child.

"It’s a surreal thing," Gair said about being a torch runner. "I tell my friends and they don’t believe me. This is just amazing."

Gair almost missed her chance to be a torch runner because she thought an email from Coke was junk mail and didn’t open it until receiving a later phone message. "I responded just before the deadline," she said.

Erika Goodman, chairwoman of the torch relay organizing committee, said free fair-trade hot chocolate and flag-shaped cookies will be available at three warm-up locations: the New Iceland Heritage Museum, the Gimli Art Club and the Gimli Recreation Centre.

After the torch’s 31 minutes in Gimli, starting at Gimli Park at 10 a.m., the warm-up locations will host open houses from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Torch runners might run by two protests in Peguis First Nation.

Chief Glenn Hudson said he has heard there will be one protest over the salaries paid to him and band councillors and another protest by people upset that the community voted last summer to accept a $126-million settlement over reserve land illegally taken from the band in 1907.

"It’s all stemming from some internal wrangling," Hudson said.

"The goodwill here for the torch will outweigh the bad, but I also agree people have a right to express their opinions."

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca

Day 69:

The torch will begin in Gimli at 10 a.m., go to Peguis First Nation at 12:27 p.m. and then to St. Laurent at 3:15 p.m.

Thirty people will carry the torch today.

The torch will travel 280.1 kilometres today.