2015 Canada Winter Games' Todd Doherty announces Integris Credit Union as first Sport Sponsor 

Prince George, BC – It was fitting that a few flakes of snow fell this morning, as Integris Credit Union was introduced as the latest Official Community Partner of the 2015 Canada Winter Games and the first Sport Sponsor…

Employees and local CWG officials gathered at the corner of 6th Avenue and Vancouver Street this morning, many ringing handbells, as Integris was introduced as the Presenting Sponsor for the Games' Alpine Event at Purden Ski Resort.  Although financial details of the partnership will not be disclosed, the credit union will outfit Purden with gate flags, course markers, and athlete skier bibs, which will be donated to alpine groups in northern BC as a post-Games legacy.

Integris Credit Union CEO, David Bird, says alpine skiing was an overwhelming favourite among staff, with many being skiers, themselves.  In addition to the financial commitment, he says, employees will be volunteering throughout the Games.

"Purden will be our hill to work with," says Bird.  "The staff will be out there working and volunteering – they're managing all the scheduling now for next year.  You've got staff on mat leave, (we're) going to have staff on Games leave."

On hand for today's street-side announcement was the President of the Prince George Alpine Ski Club, Stuart Gairns.  "The Canada Winter Games for us is about the event, but more than anything, it's about the legacy that it's going to leave behind and it's already impacting us."

"At Purden, we have a new training run – it's fantastic," says Gairns.  "We've benefitted from this equipment that's part of this announcement today already this year.  There's a plan to share that equipment with other clubs in the zone and, so it's going to go out and make for safer training areas, ability to host better events, safer events, and safer training throughout the year."

2015 CWG CEO, Stu Ballantyne, says, "There's 18 other official sports that we're going to be having sponsorship of, but it's nice to have the first and it's great to have Integris Credit Union as that first.

Photo below shows Integris staff and 2015 CWG officials gathered outside Integris main office at 1598 6th Avenue