Cross Country Ski de Fond Canada—Senator Nancy Greene Raine to host unique lunch hour on The Hill, Feb. 24 at 12 noon— 

OTTAWA—Parliament Hill will be transformed into a cross-country ski venue for Federal Legislators on Wednesday, February 24, to promote National Health and Fitness Day and encourage Canadians to embrace winter.

Led by Senator Nancy Greene Raine, fellow Senators, MPs, Ottawa youth, Olympians/Paralympians and officials from Cross Country Ski de Fond Canada, will come together for a friendly nordic ski day on the famed grounds in downtown Ottawa. 

Created with the goal to encourage a more active and healthy Canada, the unique event is being held in partnership with the Nakkertok Nordique Club and XC Ski Fast – a program designed to promote the thrill of cross-country skiing to Grades 6-8 students in the National Capital Region. XC Ski Fast will set ski tracks on the lawn of The Hill, for a fun ski day. 

The event on The Hill is reflective of programs Cross Country Ski de Fond Canada and its partners run in schoolyards across the country. Designed to introduce more children to the sport of cross-country skiing while creating a more active Canada, organizers of Ski at School programs set ski tracks in the schoolyards while providing equipment and first-class coaching to youth as part of their curriculum for the week.

Wednesday’s hour of outdoor fitness will also be used to celebrate a historic month of Nordic festivities in Canada. Ottawa will take centre stage in the international cross-country ski circles with the annual Gatineau Loppet set for February 26, followed by the first stage of the inaugural Ski Tour Canada, March 1-12.

For more information on National Health and Fitness Day, please visit our web site at www.nhfd.ca or follow us on Twitter @NHFDcan. 

WHO:               Senator Nancy Greene Raine

                        Anthony Housefather, M.P. 

                        Robert Kitchen, M.P.  

                        Cheryl Hardcastle, M.P. 

                        Ottawa Grade School Students

                        Pierre Lafontaine – Cross Country Ski de Fond Canada

WHERE:           Ski tracks set up on the west lawn at the foot of the stairs

                        Parliament Hill – Ottawa

WHEN:             Wednesday, February 24

                        12 noon EST                            

            

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Chris Dornan

Media and Public Relations 

Cross Country Ski de Fond Canada

T: 403-620-8731