MLA Shirley Bond, husband Bill kick off final leg of Torch Relay through Prince George. Photos 250 News

Prince George, B.C. – Brought to life by the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill in Ottawa last fall, the Roly McLenahan Torch and those selected to carry it are being cheered on and applauded by the bystanders lined up along the streets of Prince George as the flame makes its way to CN Centre and the ceremony marking the opening of the 2015 Canada Winter Games.

The torch was lit in Ottawa on October 16, 2014 and landed in Victoria the next day. From there it began the journey north, passing through previous Canada Games host cities of New Westminster/Burnaby and Kamloops. On November 4^th, 2014, marking 100 days to the beginning of the Games, the 2015 Games Torch Relay to illuminate the north began in Prince George, with further legs held in Fort St. John in November, Terrace in December and Quesnel in January, travelling through 27 communities and culminating in today’s opening of the Games.

One hundred and fifty-three proud residents of the city of Prince George and the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation are carrying the torch on the final leg of the relay which began at the Canada Games Plaza, winding its way up 4^th and 5^th Avenues to the Crescents, over to the western side of the bowl and finally to CN Centre where it ignites the Canada Games cauldron which will burn for the duration of the two-week sporting and cultural event.

Max Furlong didn’t let cloud of exhaust bother him in accepting handoff of Games torch in Crescents.

The torchbearers, all of whom were nominated by family, friends, peers and then chosen by a selection committee, represent a broad spectrum of the local community. They include volunteers, youngsters and seniors, members of the aboriginal community, athletes, coaches, games officials, academic leaders, students, trustees, citizens living with and overcoming physical challenges, business leaders, current and former politicians, people from various areas of the arts, media and more. All with a common trait: pride in and support of their community and an event that puts their home town in the national spotlight for the coming fortnight.