Thursday 4 May 2017

Wong to Receive Key to City of Lethbridge

Mayor Chris Spearman will present the Key to the City to Tyler Wong, the former captain of the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

Bestowed at the discretion of the Mayor, the Key to the City is a municipal government’s highest honour and is given to recognize the outstanding civic contributions of each recipient. Mayor Spearman will present the Key to the City to Wong at the beginning of the regular City Council meeting on Monday, May 8 at City Hall. 

 

Wong, who played his entire five-year Western Hockey League career as a member of the Hurricanes, was recently name the 2017 winner of the Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy as the league’s Humanitarian of the Year. He was also named the Eastern Conference Humanitarian of the Year for a third consecutive season. Wong’s off-ice work in the community included establishing a local ‘Canes Kidsport program which raised more than $13,000 this season, joining coaches and teammates to help local food banks deliver food hampers and toy baskets, visiting seniors’ homes during the holiday season, and volunteering elsewhere in the community. He was also voted the Hurricanes Fan Favourite Player all five years he played with the team.

Traditionally, the Key to the City is given by the mayor to a visiting dignitary or to a deserving resident. It typically is presented as a larger-than-life-sized model key, and it represents the city’s welcome by placing the city at the recipient’s disposal. The practice of presenting a Key to the City dates back to medieval times, when admission to a city was often hampered by walls, locked gates and many legal restrictions. Possession of the Key symbolized free entry. By the mid-1800s, it was customary to bestow a Key to the City as a symbol of goodwill indicating that the recipient was free to come and go at will.

(City of Lethbridge Release)

Thanks
Pat

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