Premier Invites Provincial Leaders to 2011 Canada Winter Games in Halifax

Premier Darrell Dexter today, Aug. 5, invited premiers from all provinces and territories to attend the 2011 Canada Winter Games in Halifax.

Premier Dexter extended the invitation, complete with Nova Scotia pins and scarves, at a luncheon at the Council of the Federation annual summer meeting in Winnipeg.

"The Canada Games are crucial to the development of our country's top young athletes," said Premier Dexter. "This is a chance for the participants to compete against some of the best in their sport, achieve personal goals and meet new people.

"And as the largest sporting event that Nova Scotia has ever hosted, the Canada Games is also a great opportunity for us, as the host province, to showcase everything that our great province has to offer."

Nova Scotia hosted the first Canada Summer Games in Dartmouth and Halifax in 1969. Sydney hosted Nova Scotia's first Canada Winter Games in 1987.

From Feb. 11 to 27, 2011, more than 2,700 athletes will compete in more than 20 sports, attracting thousands of visitors, VIPs, officials and media.

Held every two years, alternating between summer and winter, the Canada Games are a key event in the development of Canada's young athletes, producing the next generation of national, international and Olympic champions.