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Hitchhiker
Rear Admiral
Joined: 11 Aug 2004
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Location: Ontario, Canada
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 Wed Mar 15, 2006 8:51 pm Sweet thank-you heading for Norway |
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| Montreal Gazette wrote: | Sweet thank-you heading for Norway
9,000 cans of maple syrup; Gratitude for gesture of sportsmanship at Olympic ski event spread across country
EILEEN TRAVERS
Freelance
Thursday, March 09, 2006
What started as a humble way to thank Norway for helping Canada win a silver medal at last month's winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, has tallied more than 9,000 cans of maple syrup ready to be shipped to the Norwegian Olympic Committee.
"This is way beyond what we'd imagined," Doris Ronca, a Project Maple Syrup co-ordinator, said at a news conference in Lachine yesterday. "It's amazing."
The 6,000 kilograms of sticky stuff will sail to Denmark from Montreal on Sunday. It's expected to arrive by truck at the Canadian embassy in Oslo in late March.
The embassy will be throwing a party to present the gifts to Norway's Olympic Committee, said Michael Page, the Montrealer who came up with the idea.
Page created Project Maple Syrup after learning that Norwegian ski coach Bjornar Haakensmoen came to the rescue when cross-country skier Sara Renner, of Canmore, Alta., snapped a pole mid-race in Turin.
The coach handed Renner a new pole, then watched the Canadian entry of Renner and Beckie Scott glide past the finish line in second place, dropping his country's team to fourth spot.
"We wanted to say, 'Thank you, Norway,' " Page said. "I didn't think it would be this big."
Page rallied support from his colleagues at the Independent Communications Dealers Association of Canada, which represents 100 Espace Bell and Bell World vendors in Quebec and Ontario.
The idea spread like syrup to all 300 Bell outlets across Canada, which ran a five-day drive. Maple syrup producers Capilano-Labonte of Victoriaville provided cans of syrup at cost, which sold at Bell outlets for $2.50 each.
When Nehru Edwards, owner of Montreal-based MSN Transport, heard about the drive on a radio program, he called organizers and offered his help.
"It's continuing the spirit of the Olympics," Edwards said. "I was glad to offer our services."
So were others. MSN Transport provided free local shipping. Simard Transport, CP Ships and Gillship Navigation handled overseas shipping. Team Transportation in Denmark kicked in a truck to take the syrup to its final destination in Norway.
CM International covered insurance for the precious cargo. The Port of Montreal and Foreign Affairs Canada helped Project Maple Syrup navigate a labyrinth of red tape to export the gift.
"That coach basically gave us a medal," said Christopher Gillespie, of Gillship Navigation. "That was wonderfully demonstrative of what the Games are really about."
� The Gazette (Montreal) 2006 |
Source
Reason why I love Canada. 
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TrekkieMage
Office Junkie
Joined: 17 Oct 2004
Posts: 5335
Location: Hiding
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| Wed Mar 15, 2006 10:03 pm |
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A wonderful show of sportsmanship on both team's parts.
I wonder what grade of syrup they're sending over?
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