Newfoundland and Labrador to �Make Some Noise�
to Mark One-Year Countdown to the 2010 Winter Games

The Honourable Premier Danny Williams and the Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, today announced that Newfoundland and Labrador will be �making some noise� as part of celebrations taking place on Thursday, February 12, to mark the official one-year countdown to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver.

�As one of the first provinces to sign on as a contributing partner, it is only fitting that Newfoundland and Labrador is the first province outside British Columbia to participate in the one-year countdown to the 2010 Winter Games,� said Premier Williams. �We are proud to do our part to ensure the Olympic spirit travels from coast to coast to coast, and touches the hearts and lives of the people in our province.�

Minister Jackman will be participating in the �make some noise� campaign at the St. John�s harbourfront where, at 6:00 p.m., this province will start a national sound wave with a performance of the Sound Symposium Harbour Symphony.

The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) challenged contributing provinces across the country to �make some noise� as a national celebration to commemorate the official one-year countdown to the 2010 Winter Games� opening ceremonies, to be held at 6:00 p.m., February 12, 2010. Provinces across the country will be making some noise at their own events in each time zone.

Minister Jackman said Newfoundland and Labrador is eager to share in the special energy surrounding the countdown to the 2010 Winter Games.

�We want to show the country and the world that the Olympic spirit is alive and well in Newfoundland and Labrador,� said Minister Jackman. �The Sound Symposium Harbour Symphony event is a unique way to highlight our commitment to helping to make the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games a huge success, and to recognize that these games are, indeed, Canada�s Games � and an unprecedented opportunity to inspire the pursuit of excellence in all aspects of life.�

The harbour symphony plays original music written for the horns of the ships in the St. John�s harbour and transforms the ships into an orchestra on water. Each harbour symphony begins with a radio countdown transmitted by the Coast Guard. Players stand at the helms of tugboats, trawlers and ocean-going freighters to play an original score that fills the streets of the city with music.

Newfoundland and Labrador will have a strong presence at the 2010 Winter Games. Beginning on Wednesday November 11, 2009, the Olympic Flame will arrive in Wabush/Labrador City and spend the next five days visiting 41 communities and involve 330 torchbearers in our province. Meanwhile, concurrent celebratory events will take place in Vancouver and in the province on February 26, 2010, to recognize Newfoundland and Labrador Day at the 2010 Winter Games. In Vancouver, on that date, the province will participate in and program the victory celebrations warm-up segment, featuring some of the best entertainers and talent the province has to offer.

On July 4, 2008, Newfoundland and Labrador announced it had joined VANOC�s Contributing Province/Territory Program (CPTP), with a $1.5 million contribution toward Canadian athletes and the staging of the 2010 Winter Games. The investment includes $750,000 towards the Own the Podium 2010 program, which supports Canadian athletes in their preparation for the games, and $750,000 dedicated to ensuring the province takes full advantage of a wide range of benefits and opportunities designed to showcase this province, and all it has to offer, on the national and world stage.

- 30 -

Media contacts: