Pan Am torch relay to visit all York communities

YorkRegion.com
Feb. 24, 2015
Sandra Bolan

The Pan Am Games Torch Relay will be making stops across York Region in late June as excitement builds for the sporting and cultural event that brings together people from across the Americas.

More than 180 celebrations are set to take place during the 41-day journey of the torch, presented by President’s Choice and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp.

More than 130 Ontario communities will host the flame.

“The Games are all about bringing people together, and the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games Torch Relay will unite Ontarians, Canadians and communities,” said Saäd Rafi, chief executive officer of the 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games Organizing Committee (TO2015). “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for people to experience the emotion, excitement and significance of the Pan Am flame.”

The relay will begin when the flame is lit during an Aztec lighting ceremony at the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, Mexico, before landing in Canada on May 30. 

From Toronto, the flame heads to Thunder Bay on May 31 where it will visit the Terry Fox Monument before arriving in Nipigon, the most northern town on the Ontario leg of the journey.

On July 1, the torch will take part in Canada Day festivities on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

Three-thousand torchbearers will carry the flame through communities.

The torch will see more than 60 modes of transportation while touring through Canada and travel more than 5,000 km on the road and 15,000 km by air.

The relay will finish in Toronto July 10 to light the cauldron at the penning ceremony.

Metroland Media, the parent company of yorkregion.com, is a signature supporter of the Pan-Am Games.

Details of the community celebrations and the torch route will be confirmed beginning in May.

A separate 2015 Parapan Am Games Torch Relay will take place prior to the start of the Parapan event on Aug. 7. Details on the route and torchbearer application process will be released in April.

SIDEBAR
CARRYING THE TORCH
Here's an alphabetical list of where the torch relay will visit in York Region and when:

Aurora
June 25
• Lambert Willson Park

East Gwillimbury - Sharon
June 26
• East Gwillimbury Civic Centre
East Gwillimbury- Holland Landing
• June 26
(no venue listed)
East Gwillimbury- Mount Albert
• June 26
(no venue listed)

Georgina - Keswick
June 26
• Georgina Ice Palace
• Recreation Outdoor Campus

King
June 25
• King City Public School

Markham
June 27
• Cornell Community Centre and Library
• Markham Museum
• Markville Shopping Centre
• Joyride 150 Indoor Bike Park
• Milliken Mills Community Centre
• Kennedy Road and Steeles Road
Markham - Thornhill
June 27
• Thornhill Community Centre and Library
Markham- Unionville
June 27
(no venue listed)

Newmarket
June 25
• Newmarket Riverwalk Commons

Richmond Hill
June 24
• Richvale Athletic Park
• Richmond Green Sports Centre & Park
June 25
• Dr. Bette Stephenson Centre for Learning

Vaughan - Kleinburg
June 24
• Kleinburg Public School
Vaughan - Maple
June 24
• City Hall
• Canada's Wonderland
Vaughan - Thornhill
June 24
• Joseph & Wolf Lebovic Jewish Community Campus
Vaughan- Woodbridge
June 24
(no venue listed)
Whitchurch-Stouffville
June 26
• Memorial Park