February 10, 2009

Victoria BC - The Victoria Flower Count will continue in 2009 with a new date of March 18th - 23rd and led by a new partnership.

The formation of the new partnership to lead the Victoria Flower Count follows on Tourism Victoria's desire to look for interested parties to continue this great community event.

"We are pleased to be able to partner with the Westshore and Peninsula Chambers as well as The Butchart Gardens and Tourism Victoria to continue the flower count as a local tradition and marketing tool," says Bruce Carter, CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce. "Butchart Gardens led the way in developing a partnership and providing the first funding commitment," continued Carter, "and there has been tremendous community support from other businesses and individuals who want to see the count continue. The Chambers are happy to provide the organization and business network to pull the event together."

The Greater Victoria Chamber will take the lead on the count for 2009 with the intention of rotating the lead to other chambers in the region on a yearly basis. This year's leaders will look to add other partners and sponsors for the annual event.

The flower count began in Victoria as an initiative of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce in the 1960s. Since then it has grown to be a symbolic and light-hearted signal of spring in Victoria while winter still covers the rest of the country. As in past years, the 2009 count will include competitions between local schools and municipalities as well as a flower arranging competition amongst the region's mayors.

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Media Contact

Graham Bell
Public Relations
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