The Winter Olympics in Sochi start on February 7, and a little bit of Yorkton will be there, supporting Canadian athletes. Canadian Tire's We All Play for Canada flag has been assembled from over 490 pieces from Canadian Tire locations across Canada.
David Dungey, owner of Yorkton's Canadian Tire, says that the honor of representing the city on the flag went to Clayton Bassingthwaite, the store's longest-serving employee, who has been there for 32 years.
Dungey says he's proud of the support that Canadian Tire gives to the Olympic team, and he notes that Canadian Tire has been positioning itself as a destination for sporting goods from the beginning, from putting hockey as a pillar of the store itself to programs like JumpStart to support lower income kids getting into different sports.
"It goes hand in hand, particularly given Canadian Tire's emphasis on participating in sports and supporting sports in our community, so it's a natural fit for us," Dungey says.
He notes that even before Canadian Tire was a major sponsor of the Olympics, it was always part of Canadian sport.
"One of our major spokesmen for JumpStart is Jonathan Toews, captain of the Chicago Blackhawks... he literally got his first pair of skates from Canadian Tire."
