TUMBLER RIDGE - The District of Tumbler Ridge was presented with a Bell True Sport Community Award
on June 21st. The award is an initiative of the True Sport Foundation (TSF), in partnership with Bell Canada,
and recognizes communities for their outstanding contributions to fostering the development of sports, physical
activity and overall healthy living. The coveted award was granted to only three communities this year. Fellow
recipients this year include the much larger communities of Edmonton (AB) and Sherbrooke (QC).
The presentation was made by Claire Buffone-Blair, Regional Manager of Sport System Development for the
Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport in Calgary. She states, "One of the purposes of this award is to inspire other
communities to align their sports and recreation programs to foster the development of healthy lifestyles for
their citizens. Tumbler Ridge has done this remarkably well and will be used as a model for other communities
to follow."
Community Services Director Peter Thomas, who manages the District's $14M state of the art Community
Centre and recreation complex, accepted the award on behalf of the town at a ceremony held on March 29th in
Toronto. He is extremely proud of the town's recent designation, "Peter: This award is a reflective of Tumbler
Ridge's entire recreation system. It was earned through the dedication of our community's volunteers. It is
great to be involved with such a caring network. I would like to thank Charles and Linda Helm for coordinating
the submission. These residents are a prime example of two community members that go above and beyond the
call to make Tumbler Ridge a better place."
Tumbler Ridge's non-motorized recreation organization, the Wolverine Nordic and Mountain Society (WNMS),
also played a large role in the receipt of the award. Since their inception, WNMS has created and continues to
maintain an increasingly popular series of trails and hiking routes to nineteen destinations throughout the region.
They also host a number of annual recreation events including the Emperor's Challenge, one of the toughest and
most scenic half marathons in the world.
The True Sport award reinforces Tumbler Ridges image as a small town with big city facilities and world-class
infrastructure. These are essential ingredients in the communitys unmatched quality of life, which continues to
draw new residents and visitors.
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Media Contact: Ray Proulx - Economic Development Officer
District of Tumbler Ridge
(250) 242.4242 ext. 225 or edo@dtr.ca
www.tumblerridge.ca
