Celebrating Excellence.
That's exactly what Montrealers did by the thousands.
What a day it was!
The Vancouver Games left a legacy that we probably won't fully realize or appreciate for years.
The most successful winter games ever. Canadians won 26 medals; a record 14 gold. The Paralympics team followed with 19 medals, including 10 gold.
And our city came out to show their appreciation for a job well done.
What happened in Vancouver was truly remarkable.
The country came together like never before, at least not since Expo 67.
For those old enough to remember. Montreal came of age in 1967 and the world no longer saw Canada as a sleepy backwater of Mounties and moose.
Vancouver took us right to the future.
These athletes deserve our support.
Despite some criticism, the Own the Podium program was a success.
Perhaps a name change would be good -- it does sound a tad un-Canadian -- but then you saw what happened when we spent a few bucks and took this seriously.
Canadians reacted with such pride but there was little chest-beating or narrow-minded jingoism.
The secret, of course, will be to keep this Olympic flame burning.
The Olympics don't happen too often.
No doubt encouraged by the success of Vancouver 2010, Quebec City is talking about another kick at the can.
Its bid for the 2002 games was a disaster, coming in fourth with only seven votes.
So la Veille Capitale has its sights set on 2022.
The Premier says Quebec City is tailor-made for the Winter Olympics, but it does have a rather large problem.
It still doesn't have a mountain high enough
Le Massif in Charlevoix falls about 100 metres short, and unless they can somehow build a mountain on top of the mountain, the bid may fall short
But as Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to scale Mount Everest said, "It's not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves."
So to the folks in Quebec City, we wish you well
And to our athletes from 2010, thank you et merci.
