RBC asks Canadians who they would most like to pass the
Olympic Flame to?
Canadian hero, hockey legend and political icon top picks
TORONTO, March 18, 2009 — If given the chance
to carry the Olympic Flame, nearly half of Canadians would
like to pass the flame to Canadian hero Terry Fox, according
to a RBC/Ipsos poll.
As a presenting partner of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch
Relay, RBC commissioned Ipsos to ask Canadians: "If you
had a chance to be an Olympic Torchbearer, which prominent
Canadian, living or dead, would you most like to pass the
Olympic Flame to?" A list of prominent Canadians was
provided to choose from, and respondents were also offered
the chance to provide a name not included in the list.
Nearly one-half (44 per cent) of Canadians said that they
would most like to pass the Olympic Flame to Terry Fox, the
heroic Canadian who inspired the nation through his Marathon
of Hope in 1980 to raise funds and awareness for cancer research.
Fox topped the list across the country, among all age categories,
and for both men and women.
Fourteen per cent of Canadians selected hockey legend Wayne
Gretzky as the Canadian they'd most like to pass the Olympic
Flame to. Former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau finished third
(12 per cent), followed by Celine Dion (seven per cent), Gordie
Howe (five percent), Oscar Peterson (three per cent), Nancy
Greene (three per cent) and Tommy Douglas (three per cent).
Emily Carr, Margaret Atwood, Hayley Wickenheiser, Maurice
Richard, Rick Hanson, René Lévesque and Pierre
Berton rounded out the top 15.
"It is wonderful to see one of our most dedicated and
inspiring heroes at the top of this list," said Gordon
M. Nixon, president and CEO, RBC. "The Olympic Torch
Relay clearly resonates with Canadians and we hope they take
the opportunity to be an Olympic Torchbearer through our contest
at rbc.com/carrythetorch."
RBC is awarding more than 2,300 Olympic Torchbearer spots
through an online contest. Enter by midnight EDT on April
12 to participate in the first draw for your best chance to
be a 2010 Olympic Torchbearer. Enter today at rbc.com/carrythetorch.
The Olympic Flame is lit in a traditional ceremony in Olympia,
Greece, and will then be transported to Canada. The Vancouver
2010 Olympic Torch Relay will begin its cross-Canada journey
from Victoria, British Columbia, on October 30, 2009, and
will travel from coast to coast to coast through every province
and territory - spanning 45,000 kilometres and 1,000 communities
over 106 days.
These are the findings of Ipsos Canadian online Omnibus
survey conducted between February 12 and February 16, 2009.
The results are based on 1,030 online interviews with Canadians,
18 years of age and older. The final data are statistically
weighted to reflect the actual age, gender and education of
the Canadian population and are balanced by region. With a
sample size of 1,030, one can say with 95 per cent certainty
that the overall results are within ± 3.1 percentage
points of what they would have been had the entire Canadian
population been surveyed.
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For more information and to find out when the Olympic
Flame comes to your community, contact:
Brian Findlay
Stellick Marketing Communications Inc.
Telephone: (416) 603-9452 ext. 301
Cellular: (416) 802-4062
bfindlay@gotoguys.net
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