Cast Your Votes to Crown Harbour Grace Hockeyville 2009

Harbour Grace wants to be named Hockeyville 2009, and the Conception Bay North community is hoping all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians � at home and abroad � will take the time to cast their ballots in the upcoming final round of voting.

Voting is set to begin at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on February 28 (12:30 a.m. on March 1 in Newfoundland Labrador) and ends at midnight on March 4. The winner will be announced on March 7.

�I encourage all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to continue to show the kind of support which helped put Harbour Grace in the running for the coveted Hockeyville crown,� said the Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation. �We�re in the home stretch now, and it is more important than ever to vote by phone, vote online, or vote by text � and vote as often as you can.�

Harbour Grace is one of five Canadian towns competing in the final round of the Hockeyville contest. The other communities are Terrace, British Columbia; Woolwich, Ontario; Humboldt, Saskatchewan, and Thetford Mines, Quebec. The grand-prize winner will receive $100,000 for renovations to the community�s arena and be host to an NHL pre-season game. The four remaining finalists will each receive $25,000.

The Honourable Jerome Kennedy, MHA for Carbonear-Harbour Grace, said the community is being very pro-active in its efforts to win the title.

�I congratulate the Harbour Grace Hockeyville Committee for the hard work they've done over the past several weeks to put plans in place to vote for 96 consecutive hours,� said Minister Kennedy. �The committee is ready, and I have no doubt that with the support of the province, Harbour Grace will win Kraft Hockeyville 2009.�

Harbour Grace Mayor Don Coombs said the positive energy and enthusiasm is evident throughout his community as the contest enters its final phase.

�The town is bursting with anticipation,� said Mayor Coombs. �I have received phone calls and e-mails of support from other small towns throughout the country. It has been a wonderful experience.�

There are three ways to cast votes:

• Call toll-free at 1-866-533-8066;
• Go online at www.cbcsports.ca/hockeyville and/or;
• Text VOTE HARBOUR GRACE to 222111. Please note: Standard text messaging rates apply.

Kraft Hockeyville is sponsored by Kraft Canada, CBC Television, the National Hockey League (NHL) and the NHL Players� Association. For more information about Kraft Hockeyville 2009, visit www.cbcsports.ca/hockeyville

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Media contact:
Heather May
Director of Communications
Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation
709-729-0928, 697-5061
heathermay@gov.nl.ca

2009 02 27                                     11:00 a.m.