Today - Saturday, November 7, 2009

Victoria and Vancouver, B.C.

The Prince and Duchess will celebrate Canadian achievement in athletics, urban development and green construction and the contribution of Aboriginal communities when visiting the site of the Olympic Athlete’s Village as the countdown to the Games continues. Their Royal Highnesses will receive a traditional greeting by First Nations peoples, thereby showing respect for their heritage, meet athletes and the three Olympic mascots, tour some of the facilities and see a number of the environmental features of the regenerated industrial site that will house the athletes. They will join a reception at the Salt Building, an outstanding example of heritage restoration, hosted by the Government of Canada.

While still on the Village site, His Royal Highness will meet with members of the Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF), and encourage youth engagement and leadership. Since 1996, the Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF) has invested in more than 3000 Canadians aged 18-34, helping them to develop businesses that have generated millions of dollars in sales tax and export revenues, and created some 16 600 new jobs.

The Duchess will visit the VanDusen Botanical Garden, supporting the use of green space in an urban setting. The Gardens feature one of the most extensive arrays of ornamental plants in Canada; spread over 55 acres in downtown Vancouver. The Duchesses lends her support to Canadian efforts in nature conservation and urban park development. The Duchess will tour the garden and meet children engaged in natural environment activities, before planting a tree. The Duchess will also present some seeds from The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, England and will receive some seeds from the VanDusen Botanical Garden to take back to Kew. She will unveil a plaque.

The Prince visits InspireHealth offices, a holistic medical clinic. Like many Canadians, The Prince of Wales has long been interested in the advantages of an integrated approach to healthcare that combines the best of conventional and complementary medicine, with a focus on the whole person and the encouragement of good health as well as the treatment of illness. During The Prince’s visit, he will meet both staff and patients and hear about their experiences.

The Duchess visits the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility Mobile Research Lab. The first of its kind in Canada, the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility’s Mobile Research Lab travels to communities across British Columbia’s Lower Mainland and around the province to collect information on mobility and bone health. The Duchesses supports this type of innovative approach to getting health care into the community.

The Prince proceeds to Simon Fraser University to join a seminar that will discuss how to promote sustainable urban development in Canada. Originally known as The Prince of Wales’s Institute of Architecture, The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment is an educational charity founded in 1986 to improve the quality of people’s lives by teaching and practising timeless and ecological ways of planning, designing and building.

Their Royal Highnesses return to Victoria and attend an official dinner at Government House co-hosted by the Honourable Steven L. Point, OBE, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia and Premier Gordon Campbell. The Prince and The Duchess will meet a cross section of British Columbians active in sustainable urban development, heritage conservation, the arts, volunteerism, and athletics.

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