The Olympic torch has arrived in Thompson.
At about 5:10 p.m., half an hour after sunset, the torch made its way west on Thompson Drive North, passing by R.D. Parker Collegiate. The torch route from City Hall on Mystery Lake Road had throngs of spectators along the way enjoying the unseasonably pleasant 3 C temperature. The normal day time high is - 5 C.
On Day 9 of the Olympic torch relay, the flame started the day in Cold Lake, Alta. before heading east to La Ronge, Sask. and then Thompson.
From here, the torch will be flown directly to Canadian Forces Station Alert in Nunavut -- the remote electronic warfare signaling post at the top of the world and the most northern permanently inhabited place on Earth, just 900 kilometres from the North Pole. Alert maintain signals intelligence collection and geolocation facilities in support of the Canadian cryptologic program. Tomorrow, the torch will be flown south again to maritime Manitoba when it arrives in Churchill on Hudson Bay.
The Olympic torch relay is a corporately sponsored event whose main sponsors are Coca-Cola and RBC.
