May 2, 2006
OTTAWA -- Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, and His Excellency Jean-Daniel Lafond, with their daughter Marie-Éden, will conduct their first regional visit to Alberta from May 4-6, 2006. The visit will begin in Edmonton with stops in Millarville and Calgary.
Building dialogue and forging links with as many Albertans as possible, including the military and their spouses, school children and youth, as well as community volunteers, will be at the core of Their Excellencies' visit to the province.
This will be the seventh provincial visit for the Governor General since the beginning of her mandate. Governors general traditionally travel to every province and territory during the first year in office. Up to now, the Governor General has visited Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia and Nunavut.
The detailed itinerary is attached. The schedule is subject to change.
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Media informationMarilyne GuèvremontRideau Hall Press OfficeUntil May 2, 2006: (613) 998-7280From May 3-6, 2006: (613) 852-7021
Michael ShieldsMedia Coordinator, Alberta ProtocolGovernment of Alberta(780) 422-5400To call toll free within Alberta dial 310-0000.
CFB EdmontonPublic Affairs OfficerCaptain Lou Marselje
(780) 973-4149Campus Saint-JeanMona Liles(780) 465-8763
City of EdmontonSusan FarnellCommunications Officer(780) 496-8205
Millarville Community SchoolCindy Kaenel(403) 931-2984
City of CalgaryCatherine Humeny(403) 268-4679
Detailed ItineraryVisit to Alberta, May 4 to 6, 2006
Thursday, May 4 - Edmonton, the provincial capital
Visit to Canadian Forces Base Edmonton8:30 a.m. Private meeting with wounded soldiers, families and friendsEdmonton Garrison Officers' MessCLOSED TO MEDIA
9:30 a.m. Visit to the Military Family Resource CentreThe Governor General will tour the MFRC and participate in an informal discussion with spouses of recently deployed and currently deployed military personnel.Military Family Resource CentrePORTIONS OF TOUR OPEN TO MEDIA (Note: Media are asked to arrive for set up by 9 a.m.)PHOTO OP AT BEGINNING OF DISCUSSION ONLY
His Excellency - Visit to Campus Saint-Jean at the University of Alberta9:30 a.m. His Excellency Jean-Daniel Lafond will take part in a discussion with students, faculty members and community leaders on the mission of the institution to link research and teaching with civic engagement and citizenship.Campus Saint-Jean, 8406 Marie-Anne-Gaboury StreetOPEN TO MEDIA
Official Welcoming Ceremony1:00 p.m. Arrival at the Legislative Assembly The Governor General will be greeted by the Honourable Ralph Klein, Premier of Alberta, and the Honourable Ken Kowalski, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. The welcoming ceremony will include the Vice-Regal Salute and the Review of the Guard of Honour, comprised of members of the first and third battalions from Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. A 21-gun royal salute will follow. Outdoors, Legislative AssemblyOPEN TO MEDIA
1:15 p.m. Official welcome ceremonyTheir Excellencies will enter the Rotunda and sign the Alberta Distinguished Visitors' Book. Their Excellencies will then proceed inside the Legislative Assembly where the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Ken Kowalski, will offer welcoming remarks, followed by Premier Ralph Klein. The Governor General will then deliver an address to the members of the Legislative Assembly and to the people of Alberta.Indoors, Legislative AssemblyOPEN TO MEDIA
1:55 p.m. Meeting with the Honourable Ralph Klein, Premier of AlbertaPremier's officeCLOSED TO MEDIA
Dinner hosted by the Honourable Ralph Klein, Premier of Alberta7:00 p.m. The Premier and the Governor General will offer remarks.Government HouseOPEN TO MEDIA FOR REMARKS
Friday, May 5 - Edmonton, Millarville and Calgary
9:00 a.m. Meeting with His Worship Stephen Mandel, Mayor of EdmontonThe Governor General arrives at City Hall to be greeted by His Worship Stephen Mandel, Mayor of Edmonton. Edmonton City HallPHOTO OP ON ARRIVAL
9:30 a.m. Civic call on the City of Edmonton and presentation of the Meritorious Service Medal to Becky Scott and the Governor General's Caring Canadian Awards to four Albertans The public is invited to hear both the mayor and the Governor General deliver remarks. The ceremony will showcase Edmonton's rich cultural diversity, including aboriginal hoop dancers, a youth choir, the Cariwest Performers, a brass ensemble, a Franco-Albertan group and a reading by the Poet Laureate. The Governor General will also present a Meritorious Service Medal to Olympian Beckie Scott and the Caring Canadian Award to four Albertans.
The Meritorious Service Medal recognizes people whose specific deeds or activities over a limited period of time have been performed in a highly professional manner, or according to a very high standard. Often innovative, these deeds or activities set an example for others to follow, improves the quality of life of a community and brings benefit to Canada.
The Governor General's Caring Canadian Award is presented to Canada's unsung heroes,' those individuals and groups whose unpaid, voluntary contributions provide extraordinary help or care in the community. Please see Annex A and B for recipients' citations. You can visit our Web site at www.gg.ca for more information on the Meritorious Service Medal and the Caring Canadian Award.Edmonton City HallOPEN TO MEDIA
11:15 a.m. Departure for Millarville
Visit to Millarville Community School2:00 p.m. The Governor General and her daughter Marie-Éden Lafond will arrive by stage coach to the school, where Her Excellency will address students and people from the community. She will then visit some classes and return outside to visit the school's archeological dig. At the end of her visit, the Governor General will take a group photo with students in the school's playground.
The visit to Millarville Community School is in response to 75 personal invitations the Governor General received from students to visit their school and their community, as well as their archeological dig. Teachers at the school, Loretta Stabler and Patti Thorne, both received the Governor General's Award for Excellence in Teaching Canadian History from the Governor General Jean in 2005, while teacher Pam Irving received the prize in 2003 from former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson. #10 Main Street, Millarville HamletOPEN TO MEDIA
His Excellency - Discussion with Alberta-based documentary filmmakers2:00 p.m. His Excellency Jean-Daniel Lafond will participate in a discussion with filmmakers, youth and cultural leaders on the themes of democracy, civic engagement and affecting change in a community.River Café, Prince's Island Park, CalgaryOPEN TO MEDIA
Dinner hosted by His Honour the Honourable Norman Kwong, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta7:00 p.m. The Lieutenant Governor and the Governor General will deliver remarks.McDougall Centre, 455 6 Street SW, CalgaryOPEN TO MEDIA FOR REMARKS
Saturday, May 6 - Calgary
Civic call on the City of Calgary10:00 a.m. Official welcome ceremonyThe Governor General will be greeted by His Worship Dave Bronconnier, Mayor of Calgary. The ceremony will include remarks by the Governor General and the mayor.Calgary City Hall OPEN TO MEDIA
10:50 a.m. Discussion with Calgary youthAs part of Youth Week in Calgary, Their Excellencies and Mayor Bronconnier will sit down with 50 young people from a cross-section of the city to talk about their concerns.Historic City HallCLOSED TO MEDIA
ANNEX A: Citations for the Governor General's Caring Canadian Award
Father William Allen Reynolds, St. Albert, AlbertaGovernor General's Caring Canadian Award
Father Reynolds was ordained to the priesthood in 1936 and has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to disadvantaged residents of his community. After serving with Scouts Canada for almost two decades, he co-founded the Boys' & Girls' Clubs of Edmonton. Over the next 40 years, he dedicated his spare time to the activities and management of the clubs, which would grow to influence and enrich the lives of 5 000 children and youth each year. A compassionate and gentle man, Father Reynolds continued after his retirement to celebrate mass, to administer pastoral care and to visit patients at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.
Roseanne Sczebel and Walter Sczebel, Legal, AlbertaGovernor General's Caring Canadian Award
Roseanne and Walter Sczebel began to hold youth group meetings in 1964, responding to a need for leadership and motivation among local youth. Ten years later, a lodge was built and Teen Time now hosts camps and retreats that provide youth in need with a supportive environment in which they can develop skills such as horseback riding, canoeing and archery. The dedicated couple has also committed time and effort to Rotary Club initiatives such as the youth exchange program, as well as the Wagon Train fundraising ride whose proceeds support polio research. In addition, Mrs. Sczebel participates in various fundraising activities and volunteers her hairdressing services at the local long-term care facility.
Dale William Smith, Edmonton, AlbertaGovernor General's Caring Canadian Award
A member of the Optimist Club for 21 years, Dale Smith has always honoured the motto "Friend of Youth". He is the driving force behind the Octagon Club, a community service organization, and several other initiatives such as the Amnesty International Club, which inspire Paul Kane High School students to become better citizens and to make a difference in their community. Mr. Smith has also orchestrated fundraisers for the United Way and other charitable organizations, and he has helped immigrant families settle into their new surroundings. Constantly working behind the scenes and giving credit to the students for the clubs' achievements, he is a source of inspiration to all who know him.
ANNEX B: Citation for the Meritorious Service medal (civil division)
Beckie Scott, M.S.M., Bend, Oregon, United States of AmericaMeritorious Service Medal (civil division)
A native of Vermillion, Alberta, Beckie Scott became the first Canadian woman to win an Olympic medal in cross-country skiing at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. An ardent advocate and spokesperson for drug-free sport, she led an anti-doping campaign in her sport in 2001, spearheading an athletes' petition demanding the establishment of an independent drug-testing body for all World Cup and Olympic competitions. After it was discovered that the two athletes who had finished ahead of her in the five-kilometre race had tested positive for blood doping, both before the 2002 Olympics and after another race, the decision to upgrade Ms. Scott's bronze medal to gold marked the ultimate victory in her battle against cheating in sport.
